Though he says basketball is a simple game, Bountiful coach Mike Maxwell still appreciates a little brain-power.
"I listened to my point guard (Taylor Nadauld)," Maxwell said after his Braves defeated fifth-ranked Fremont 48-33. "This is the smartest team I've ever coached."Nadauld's suggestion?
Defense.
"It was that simple," said Maxwell. "We got back and put a hand in their face."
Trailing 21-16 at halftime, the Braves roared back by limiting the host Silver Wolves to just two field goals in the second half - one in the last 15 minutes.
"They were cold, but our defense had something to do with it," said Maxwell. "This team can play at any speed."
Pat Williams led the Braves (7-1) with 14 points, while teammate Brett Hewlett added eight rebounds and six steals. Chad Anderson and Jake Brian each finished with seven points for Fremont (6-1).
The Silver Wolves overcame a 9-6 deficit by outscoring the Braves 15-7 in the second quarter. Ironically, it was defense that gave Fremont its halftime advantage. Bountiful made just six field goals in 26 attempts in the first half.
A reversal of fortune, prompted by rebounding and defense, put the Braves back on top midway through the third period. Williams, who helped Bountiful garner a 41-27 rebounding edge, scored nine points in a 15-1 run that put the game out of reach. The Braves took their biggest lead (48-33) with a game-ending 6-0 burst after forcing the Silver Wolves to miss 19 shots (in 21 attempts) over the final two quarters.
In other action Tuesday:
Bear River 65, Wasatch 62: The Bears held off host Wasatch for the win as Brian Bragger led the Bears with 17. Mark Pitts scored 19 for the Wasps and Brady Farr chipped in 18.
Cedar City 36, Virgin Valley 33: Trent Pryor nailed a 25-footer in the last second to lift the Redmen to a win. Pryor finished with 11 to lead Cedar; Mark Cheney led Virgin Valley with 12.
Copper Hills 50, Jordan 49: Tony Hanker scored 13 for the Grizzlies while Travis Knudsen bagged a last-second jumper over host Jordan. Torrey Henich led the Beetdiggers with 12 points.
Northridge 83, Highland 67: Scott Thomas paced Northridge with 22 and Paul Sackolwitz added 19. Dalin Wayment turned in 16 points for the Rams as they fell short in the final quarter to the Knights.
Olympus 60, Hunter 50: Zach Green poured in 21 for Oly in a fourth-quarter comeback at Hunter. Chris Kinsley scored 12 for the Titans, while Cory Grow led the Wolverines with 15.
Park City 56, Bingham 51: Dave Behnke iced the upset for the Miners, hitting 11 of 14 free throws and finishing with 15 total points. Chason Memmott had 19 to lead Park City.
Sky View 66, Roy 58 : Chad Knight hit a trey to send the game into OT, then finished with 18 to spark the victory. Sky View went hit all 14 free throws in OT; Roy's Mike Puzey led all scorers with 26.
Skyline 66, Granger 57: Chris Handy piled up 25 points for the Eagles in a second-half turnaround over Granger. John Palmer had 12 for Skyline; Jordan Mulford led Granger with 15 and Adam Gallagher chipped in 14.
Timpview 107, Carbon 64: The T-Birds reached the century mark for the first time in the season in a drubbing of the Dinos.
Weber 74, Ogden 56: Chad Evans led the 7-0 Warriors with 17, while Nate Wilcox of Ogden finished with 20 points for the Tigers, including six 3-pointers. Nic and Matt Sparrow each had 14 for Weber.
West Jordan 56, Cottonwood 46: Jaguars Ryan Nemelka and Robert Judd scored 11 points each, and Scott Weidauer had a Cottonwood-high with 10.
Bullhead City Tournament
Fairfax, Calif. 49, Pine View 41: The Panthers came up short as Ben Lindquist led the team with 21 against a Los Angeles area foe. Pine View knocked off Kingman, Ariz. 56-47 in early action Tuesday.
Las Vegas Classic
Box Elder 58, Peninsula 49: The Bees advanced in Tuesday's early action behind contest MVP Mark Larsen's 13 points. Nate Putnam added 11 points for Box Elder.
Erie Cathedral 61, Orem 58: Shawn Ford led the Tigers with 21 against their Ohio opponents. Tyler Webb added 16 and Spencer Abney 14 for Orem.
Woodbridge 50, Box Elder 49: Despite 15 points from Casey Blacker and 10 from Kevin Peterson, the Bees fell in later action to a 12-2 Woodbridge squad. Blacker also had 15 rebounds for Box Elder.
Region 6/7
Cyprus 64, West 60: Trevor Wilson sparked the Pirates with 20 points, followed by Fred Allen with 16. Dan White led West with 18; Dave Bennett added 16.
Judge 65, East 59 (4 OT): East's Dan Stewart led all scorers with 22, hitting treys to force the second and third overtimes. Jason Soto led the No. 4 Bulldogs with 18, followed by Brandon Veltri and Tony Giovacchini with 17 each.
Murray 78, Granite 53: Top-ranked Murray blasted the Farmers behind Jeff Johnsen's 19-point effort. Britton Johnsen added 14 for the Spartans. Granite was led by Steve Walton with 13.
Tooele 55, Woods Cross 33: Straton Christensen had a career-high 20 points as the Buffs snagged their first win. Dave Evans and Doug Carlson each had 11 points each for the Wildcats.
Region 14 East
ICS 76, Mt. Vernon 38: Michael Gray notched 25 points to fuel the Lions to a spotless 5-0 region mark. Dajun Heaps led the Patriots with 16.
SL Christian 55, SL Lutheran 50 : Eric Vegh finished with 17 points as the Dragonslayer posted its first win. Darren Morrison of Lutheran had 14 points and 15 rebounds.