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Timpview 68, Alta 66
When Timpview and Alta met almost a month ago, the Hawks used a big third quarter to help pull away from the Thunderbirds and win by 14. On Friday, it was Timpview’s third quarter that helped seal the deal.
Finding themselves down one at the half, Timpview outscored Alta by three in the third, and that was all they needed to hang on for a 68-66 win in a back-and-forth Region 8 battle.
“We have a special team where no one cares who gets the credit, our guys just want to do whatever it takes to win,” said Timpview coach Izzy Ingle. “We did a great job valuing each possession and made huge free throws down the stretch to close it out.”
The T-birds were led Taki Uluilakepa with 25 points, two rebounds, two assists, and three steals. Eli St. Clair, James Rust, and Dean Rueckert each chipped in 11 points in the victory.
North Sevier 47, Gunnison 46
North Sevier jumped out to an early 16-point lead after the first quarter and then held off a furious rally to defeat Gunnison 47-46.
The Bulldogs outscored North Sevier by 15 points in the second, third, and fourth quarters combined, but the lead built up by the Wolves was just enough to hang on for the victory. North Sevier was led by Trayton Christensen, Keaton Hallows, and Randy Elmer, each scoring in double figures with 13, 12, and 10 respectively.
“We came out firing on all cylinders. Defense was great and offense was clicking,” said North Sevier coach Dakota Shepherd. “Give credit to Gunnison, they fought their way back in. They are a good team.”
The Bulldogs used a balanced team attack to fight back and tighten the gap, with seven different players logging points in the scorebook, led by Jon Wilden’s 14.
Salem Hills 70, Maple Mountain 65
In a battle for sole position of second place in Region 9, the Salem Hills SkyHawks used a dominating effort in the second and third quarter to take down Maple Mountain 70-65.
The Golden Eagles jumped out to a 10-point lead after the first quarter, but a 21-7 advantage in the second quarter helped Salem Hills take the lead for good. Chase DeGraffenried was huge for the SkyHawks, tallying 21 points.
“It was a good team win,” said Salem Hills coach Blake Francom. “We got a good boost from our bench in the second quarter and we were able to make enough plays down the stretch for the win.”
With just two region games remaining in the regular season, Salem Hills will now cheer for a Maple Mountain victory in their next game, as the Golden Eagles host region-leading Springville on Tuesday.
Murray 64, Skyline 56
Coming into Friday’s game, the Spartans were on a two-game losing streak, each by the identical score of 59-57. Determined to end the streak and defend home-court, the Spartans jumped out to an early lead and never looked back, upsetting Skyline 64-56.
The Eagles were streaking traveling to Murray, having won eight straight games and eyeing the top spot in Region 6. It was the Spartans, however, that had all the momentum in the game, quickly turning a two-point first quarter advantage into an 11-point halftime lead. The Spartans’ defense was key to the running, holding Skyline’s high-octane offense to a mere four points in the second.
Chudi Anosike continued his fantastic play this season, tallying 19 points to lead Murray. Skyline’s Yorgio Golesis chipped in 25 for the Eagles in the loss.
“I was really proud with how hard and smart we defended. They have two of the best shooters around and we didn’t let them get going and limited offensive rebounds,” Murray coach Jason Workman said. “We feel great about our performance.”
Fremont 54, Clearfield 45
After one quarter of play, Region 1 leading Fremont found themselves trailing against Clearfield, a team who hadn’t won a region game this season. The upset bid was short-lived, however, as the Silverwolves regrouped to outscore the Falcons by 10 in the second and third quarters combined, and pulled away for a 54-45 victory.
David Calvert and Treyden Hoggan were unstoppable from behind the arc for the Silverwolves. Calvert finished with 18 points and three 3-pointers, while Hoggan added an additional 17 with five treys.
“We didn’t play our best on offense, but we found a way to win,” said Fremont coach Corey Melaney.
Fremont now eyes a region title with just two games remaining and a 1.5 game lead over second place Layton.
Copper Hills 64, Riverton 55
Riverton has a knack for performing well in tight contests, entering Friday’s match with a 5-1 record in games within five points. That and an undefeated region record had the Silverwolves traveling to Copper Hills Friday with a lot of confidence. But as the final buzzer sounded, it was the Grizzlies celebrating the win.
“We did a great job against a very tough team at playing together on both ends of the court,” Copper Hills coach John Watkins said.
Riverton entered the fourth quarter trailing by seven, but could never find enough momentum to take down the Grizzlies despite 20 points from Jaxon Kerekes. Copper Hills was led by Logan Weidauer’s double-double, with 27 points and 10 rebounds.
With the win, the Grizzlies not only denied Riverton the chance to lock up the region title, but stay within two games of the region-leading Silverwolves with just two games to play before the state tournament.
