Lake Mead boys win may prove costly

Landon Littlefield was glad to be on the court again, pumping his fist after sinking two crucial third-quarter 3-pointers.

Now the Lake Mead junior shooting guard is hoping he’ll be able to play again this season.

Littlefield scored a game-high 16 points to lead the Eagles to a 65-56 win at Agassi Prep on Tuesday night.

But he left the game in serious pain in the final two minutes after apparently re-injuring a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee that kept him sidelined the first five games of the season.

“I practiced for two weeks and everything was fine, so it’s a fluke, I’m hoping,” said Littlefield, who played wearing a brace on his left knee.

Littlefield, who has orally committed to Division II Dixie State, felt the time was right to return after being held out of the Lake Mead Holiday Classic for precautionary reasons. He had been cleared to play by medical personnel.

“I had been waiting seven months for that,” Littlefield said of his return. “I feel like I’m on top of the mountain out there, you know?”

Littlefield’s two 3s keyed a 10-2 third-quarter surge that helped Lake Mead climb out of a 34-33 halftime deficit.

“That’s what Landon does,” Eagles coach Jeff Newton said. “He spreads the floor for us. He’s a great shooter. Hopefully he’s OK.”

Jeffrey Newton scored 14 points, De’Quan Thompson 12 and Demetrius Turner 11 for defending Class 1A state champion Lake Mead (5-1).

After Agassi Prep star post player Quincy Brown picked up his third foul early in the third quarter, the Stars switched to a 2-3 zone defense.

“Early in the third quarter, they figured it out and got the ball over to Littlefield, and he dropped a couple of big ones on us,” Agassi Prep coach David Claerbaut said.

Brown paced the Stars (2-2) with 15 points and seven rebounds. James Turner scored 14 points and DeShawn Battle 13.

The Stars hit their first 12 free throws and tied the game at 52 before a 3-pointer by Jeffrey Newton gave Lake Mead a 55-52 lead.

But in the end, it was the 10-2 run keyed by Littlefield that made the difference.

He was a key cog in an up-tempo attack last season, when the Eagles rolled to a 32-1 record and their first state title.

“I was trying to bring the intensity back (Tuesday),” he said. “It’s my first game back, so I wanted the team to know my presence was there.”