When it came to cashing in on the boards Tuesday night, Murray was pretty stingy. In fact, the Spartans were outright greedy - and it paid off with a 73-66 victory over the Olympus Titans in a non-region boys basketball game.
The fifth-ranked Spartans improved to 5-2 as they outrebounded Olympus 34-13, thanks mostly to a huge performance by Josh Lambourne, who totaled six more rebounds than the entire Titan team. He led the Spartans' crash on the glass with 19 rebounds, including 12 offensive boards, and also scored 26 points."They did a nice job on the offensive boards and it created a lot of easy baskets for them to win," said Olympus coach Mike Riley. "They deserve a lot of credit for the nice defensive adjustment in the second half."
Murray was forced to improvise on its defensive scheme because of a sizzling 24-point first half barrage by Titan Brandon Wallengren, who ended up with a game-high 35 points and seven three-pointers. He smoked the nets for 18 first-quarter points, including five treys from well-beyond the arc as Olympus took a 26-19 lead.
Lambourne and Jeff Johnsen scored eight points apiece in the second quarter as the Spartans chipped at the Titan lead. The biggest play came with just over 10 seconds left in the quarter.
Johnsen - who ended up with a team-high 27 points - swatted away an Olympus shot, came down with the ball and then made a long pass to Lambourne, who made an easy layup that cut the lead to 44-40 but gave Murray momentum going into the locker room.
The second half was owned by the Spartans as they outscored Olympus 33-22 to pull away with the victory.
"Rebounding was the key . . . we really emphasized that," said Murray head coach Gordon Kener. "I was really pleased with the patience and poise of our players."
Elsewhere in the state:
South Summit 65, St. Joseph 62
At South Summit, Bronson Gilbert and Luke Gines scored 17 and 15 points respectively as the Wildcats (7-4) rallied past the Jayhawks (4-4). Rory McEntee of St. Joseph led all scorers with 24.
Skyline 65, Kearns 63
At Kearns, Dave Johnson, who finished with a game-high 37 points, forced overtime with a three-pointer late in regulation. Once in the extra session, the Eagles (3-6) never trailed. Wes Johnson had 22 for winless Kearns.
Highland 59, Tooele 58
At Tooele, Winston Scott scored a game-high 24 points as the Rams (7-3) edged the Buffaloes (2-4). Greg Warner had 22 for Tooele.
Cottonwood 50, West Jordan 37
At West Jordan, the Colts (5-4) overcame a first-quarter deficit by outscoring the Jaguars (2-8) 37-20 in the last three periods.
Hillcrest 65, Granger 63
At Granger, Chad Keetch scored 18 points, hitting four three-pointers, to lead the Huskies (4-5) to a narrow win over the Lancers (3-6). Adam Gallagher of Granger topped the scoring list with 20.
Taylorsville 65, Pleasant Grove 58
At Taylorsville, Scott Young's 20 points paced the Warriors (7-2) past the Vikings (7-3). Justin Wilkes of P.G. also finished with 20.
Timpview 75, American Fork 63
At American Fork, Nate Cooper's 19 points lifted the top-ranked Thunderbirds to their 10th consecutive victory. Bryan Eckles led the Cavemen (3-7) with 15.
Jordan 66, Woods Cross 30
At Jordan, Ryan Stewart had a game-high 23 points as the Beetdiggers (3-5) blasted the Wildcats (2-6). No Woods Cross player scored more than six points.
West 66, Granite 65
At Granite, the Farmers (2-6) blew a six-point lead in the last minute as the Panthers (6-3) prevailed. Maurice Hamilton of Granite led all scorers with 26 points.
Judge Memorial 74, Cyprus 57
At Judge Memorial, Timmy Gardner scored 16 points and recorded seven assists and seven rebounds to lead the Bulldogs (5-3) past the Pirates (5-4). Fred Allen and Chad Hunstman each had 11 points for Cyprus.
San Juan 77, Shiprock, N.M., 55
At San Juan, Shane Singer scored a game-high 17 points to lead the Broncos (3-2) past the visitors from New Mexico.
Northridge 67, Springville 60
At Springville, Tim Kealamakia finished with 20 points to lead the Knights (2-6) to victory over the Red Devils (3-6). Jessie Weight had 17 for Springville.