Utah high school boys basketball: Friday night notes and roundup

Fremont 51, Syracuse 48

The Silverwolves and the Titans needed not only one, but two extra periods in order to determine a winner Friday night.

Syracuse, which trailed by five points heading into the fourth quarter, rallied to force overtime, but after the extra minutes, it was Fremont that prevailed by a 51-48 scoreline, picking up its 10th victory of the season.

The win was all the more impressive considering the Silverwolves were missing their leading scorer, Hunter Hansen (23.9 ppg).

David Calvert (game-high 15 points and 10 boards) helped pick up the scoring slack for Fremont, and Jace Hadley (11 points) and Braden Flinders (10 points) each notched double figures for the Silverwolves.

Treyden Hoggan also came up big for Fremont, picking up a crucial steal in the second overtime.

“Without Hunter Hansen, every player stepped up tonight at some point in the game,” Fremont coach Corey Melaney said. “Our defense was phenomenal tonight and our team unity is fun to see.”

Riverton 71, Copper Hills 68

Tied at the end of halftime and at the end of regulation, there was little separation between Riverton and Copper Hills Friday night. But, thanks to a 7-4 advantage in the overtime period, the 11-win Silverwolves secured win No. 12 by a final 71-68 scoreline.

With the win, Riverton improved to 3-0 in Region 3, while Copper Hills (2-1) suffered its first defeat in region play.

Logan Dunfield, who finished with a team-high 18 points for Riverton, sank two free throws with less than a second remaining in regulation to force overtime.

But Dunfield’s heroics didn’t stop there, as the senior proceeded to score the game-winning points with less than a second remaining in overtime after securing an offensive rebound.

Jaxon Kerekes also added 17 points for Riverton, while the Copper Hills duo of Isaiah Reiser (game-high 23 points) and Kyson Hymas (21 points) proved tough to contain all night long.

“That was a great game. Both teams played really hard. It was the most physical game we’ve had this year. I’m proud of our team. This group is just built different and they found a way to win tonight,” Riverton coach Skyler Wilson said.

Skyline 74, Brighton 70

It was a consequential Region 6 matchup between two of the region’s top three teams, as Brighton made the short trip to Skyline Friday night.

With no side holding more than a three-point lead at the end of any of the first three quarters, the teams were neck-and-neck throughout, but in the end the Eagles edged out a 74-70 victory.

Skyline needed strong performances from seniors Yorgio Golesis (game-high 28 points), Kai Tulsian (18 points), Peter Broadbent and Jack Huntsman in order to counteract the intensity and scrappiness of the 10-win Bengals.

The win gave Skyline a game and a half lead over Brighton in the Region 6 standings (trailing Olympus, which is undefeated in region play). The teams will meet again on Valentine’s Day.

“We love our guys and we are just trying to get better. Our goal is to be the best version of ourselves at tournament time and this was a step in the right direction,” Skyline coach Marcus Frazier said.

East 56, Murray 54

In a night full of overtime games across the state, the Friday night showdown between East and Murray proved to be no different.

The lead see-sawed between the two teams for four quarters, but in the overtime period, the Leopards made the stops they needed to see out a 56-54 victory.

The result gave East — which had 11 wins the past two years combined — 10 wins this year. Most importantly, during overtime, the Leopards managed to limit the state’s leading scorer, Chudi Anosike, who still managed to torch the nets with a 36-point night.

Through 17 games, Anosike is averaging 29.6 points per game for the Spartans, who may just be the most talented sub .500 team in the state.

Kevin Doe led the way for East, scoring a team-high 23 points, while Campbell Christensen chipped-in 13 points for the Leopards, who are enjoying their best season in three years.

“Our kids have shown defense and toughness all week in close wins over Highland and now Murray. We have a lot of parity in our (region) so every game is a battle,” East coach Dan Del Porto said.

Juan Diego 59, Morgan 55

Juan Diego made the trip over the mountains to take on Morgan Friday night for what was a matchup between two 11-win squads.

Despite a furious comeback attempt from the Trojans, who outscored the Soaring Eagle 27-15 in the fourth quarter, Juan Diego secured its 12th victory of the year with a 59-55 result on the road.

The Soaring Eagle built what ended up being an insurmountable lead thanks to a 41-18 scoring run that spanned over the second and third periods. Juan Diego excelled at getting to the free throw line, attempting 24 more freebies than Morgan.

The Soaring Eagle sank 70% of its foul shots (21-of-30). Juan Diego sophomore Noah Bendinger scored a game-high 28 points.

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