Utah high school boys basketball: Emery hits 100, Cottonwood wins in 2OT

Bingham 60, Herriman 48

Coming into Friday trailing Herriman in the 6A Region 3 standings, Bingham looked like the better team on the floor from the start as the Miners went on to beat the Mustangs, 60-48.

Bingham shot out of a cannon to get out to an 18-6 lead after the first quarter. Herriman narrowed the lead to 27-24 by halftime, but the Miners outscored the Mustangs in the third and fourth to seal the deal.

Senior KJ Jenson drained five 3-pointers for 15 points, and freshman Luke West added another 15 for Bingham.

Junior Ike Palmer led Herriman in the loss with 15 points. Interestingly, 12 of the total 13 players who scored for either team also made at least one 3.

“Our guys were very focused and confident to start the game, and it showed with the score after one quarter,” Bingham coach Kyle Straatman said.

“We then battled through some foul trouble in the second and third but executed really well and played together in the fourth. Brayden Whitehead was huge for us defensively with seven blocks (unofficially) and then KJ, Luke, and Carson [Bagley] led us on the other end. [It was a] big win for us to finish out the first round of region but [we] have a lot of work to do moving forward to reach our goals.”

Skyline 53, East 49

Skyline came away with a close win at home over East, 53-49, in a battle between two top teams in 5A Region 6.

It was Skyline’s lowest scoring region game this season, but it didn’t look that way at the beginning as East raced out to a 23-16 first quarter lead.

Skyline retook control in the second quarter and tied it, 33-33, at halftime. The Eagles then inched out the Leopards in the second half to move to 12-5 overall and 6-1 in region play, solidifying the second-place spot in region behind Skyline’s next opponent, Olympus.

Senior guard Kai Tulsian led all scorers with 17 points, including five 3-pointers, for Skyline. Senior Kevin Doe led East with 11 points.

“[I] can’t say it enough—we love our guys!!! East really defends, but we keep finding ways to win, and it is a testament to our kids’ toughness. We have not arrived by any stretch, but I love the direction we are moving in,” Skyline coach Marcus Frazier said.

Cottonwood 78, Cedar Valley 72 (2OT)

5A powerhouse Cottonwood got thrown onto the ropes by a tenacious Cedar Valley squad, but even though it took two extra periods, the Colts eventually pulled away and moved to 17-1 overall with a 78-72 double-overtime win, moving them two games ahead in the race for the Region 7 title.

Cottonwood led most of the first half, but the Aviators outscored the Colts 21-13 in the third quarter to claim a lead before the game went to OT.

Nine total players scored in double-figures between the two teams. Junior Aiden Oliphant led Cottonwood with 18 points, while Cedar Valley senior Cole Roberts led all scorers in the loss with 19 points.

“What a game! Tonight’s game was back and forth, and I think both teams gave it all they had tonight. Cedar Valley did a good job of slowing us down, and I’m proud of the boys for grinding out a very tough win. Everybody contributed to the win, and we are fortunate to come out with the win against a very good Cedar Valley team,” Cottonwood coach Marc Miller said.

Timpview 46, Orem 43

Timpview came away with a low-scoring dogfight of a win as the Thunderbirds upset cross-town rival Orem, 46-43, to narrow the gap in the Region 8 standings between the two squads.

Timpview slowly built a lead over the Tigers and held off a rally in the fourth quarter for the win. Senior James Rust and junior Quezon Villa each scored 10 points to lead the T-Birds, and Orem’s Anthony Falesi led all scorers with 12 points.

“I’m really proud of our team’s composure down the stretch against a great Orem team. It was a crazy environment, and our guys made big plays at the right time. It was a great collective effort from our whole team tonight,” Timpview coach Izzy Ingle said.

Emery 104, Grand 66

Emery became the first Utah team to hit the century mark as it steamrolled Grand County, 104-66.

The Spartans led 56-34 at halftime and continued to rain down shots on offense all night long, scoring 34 points in just the third quarter.

Emery had four players in double figures and combined for 14 3-pointers. Senior guard Talon Tuttle went off for a career-high 28 points, including eight 3s, for Emery to lead all scorers.

Junior Lane Berry scored 21 to lead Grand.

“[It was a] a great team win tonight. We got contributions by a lot of different players and shot the ball extremely well, highlighted by Talon Tuttle. [I’m] proud of how the boys played and are coming together as a team,” Emery coach Dave Justice said.

Judge Memorial 42, Juan Diego 41

Regions and classifications didn’t matter in this rivalry matchup as 3A Judge Memorial came away with a big upset on the road over 5A independent rival Juan Diego, 42-41.

The Soaring Eagle jumped out to a predictable 12-4 lead after the first quarter, but by halftime, the Bulldogs had rallied and had a 23-22 lead.

Judge kept going strong, leading by 7 points going into the fourth quarter, and it held off a late rally by Juan Diego to seal the win.

Junior guard Mauricio Lemus led all scorers with 18 points, including four 3-pointers, for Judge Memorial. Sophomore guard Noah Bendinger led the Soaring Eagle with 15 points.

“The coaching staff is beyond proud of just the toughness and team-first mentality our guys showed tonight against a high quality basketball team that will challenge in 5A,” said Judge Memorial coach Sanjin Kolovrat.

“We couldn’t quite get going on offense but battled every possession and made a couple big plays down the stretch. [We’re] very proud of our guys.”

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