COTTONWOOD HEIGHTS — It's tournament time for Brighton. At least in the eyes of Coach Lyndon Johnson it is.
"We're going to have to win every game to make it in to the tournament," Johnson said, "and that's our goal. We want to be at the tournament."
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Brighton edged a little closer to Johnson's goal with a 56-48 win at home over Alta on Thursday.
The Bengals relied on Brayden Bell and the surprisingly solid play of freshman Jace Tavita.
Brighton didn't deviate from its normal game plan much, though. All offense moved through the 6-foot-10 Bell, who has been the focal point of the Bengal offense all season.
Bell, headed to Ohio State University once he graduates, scored 18 points in the contest, two below his season average of 20.
Nearly as impressive as the points posted by Bell were the blocks down in the paint.
"We kept Brayden in the paint, and extended on the shooters. Alta is a good shooting team so we had to move around outside." Johnson said.
The first half was unusually quiet for both teams. Brighton finished with a 19-18 lead over the Hawks, but the contest didn't resemble the thrilling first encounter between the two.
Johnson emphasized defense at the break and his team listened.
Brighton held Alta scoreless for the first several minutes of the second half and widened the gap to nearly 10 by the middle of the third.
Then came Tavita.
With two minutes remaining in the third quarter, Tavita slashed in and floated a finger-roll and gave the Bengals a 12-point lead.
Brighton finished the third with a comfortable margin and carried the lead through the fourth.
Alta's last gasp came in the waning moments of the fourth when it threatened to rally, but nothing materialized.
Greg Anderson led the Hawks down the stretch, but effective shooting couldn't outrun the clock. Anderson finished with 14 points for Alta.
Tavita's final two points came off of free throws that made Alta's rally impossible.
"People are going to get sick of hearing about this kid." Johnson said of the freshman. "He's more mature than I thought a 15-year-old would ever be."
It's nothing new for Tavita. He feels he's earned the right to play with the varsity squad.
"I've earned their respect now," Tavita said.