LAYTON — Fremont forward Nick Garrett has come a long way since he was carried off the basketball court on a stretcher against Syracuse last month.
And on Tuesday night, his shooting helped carry the Silver Wolves to a 60-53 win over Layton and a berth in the Class 5A tournament at Weber State next week. The game was a do-or-die contest for both teams, as they battled for Region 1's final playoff spot.
Fremont advances to play top-ranked Lone Peak in the state tournament, while the Lancers were eliminated from playoff contention.
It took a spark from Garrett to help the Silver Wolves reach the postseason for the 14th consecutive year.
Layton opened the second half on a 13-2 run and took its first and only lead of the game at 31-30. Garrett, however, quickly responded, knocking down 3-pointers on Fremont's next two possessions to regain momentum for the Silver Wolves and give them a 36-31 lead.
Broc Ballif hit a 3-pointer before the end of the third quarter to put Fremont firmly in control of the contest.
Garrett, a junior, scored a career-high 14 points and drained a total of four 3-pointers.
"We just needed a spark," Garrett said. "We made some nice passes to get me the ball. I thought, 'I just got to hit them.'"
Garrett was a starter for the Silver Wolves until he suffered a neck injury against Syracuse on Jan. 11. He left that game on a stretcher, then missed Fremont's next three contests. He is now usually the first or second guy off the bench for the Silver Wolves, and still playing an important role for them.
"He did spark us," said Fremont coach Bernie Graziano. "I'm real proud of him. He's important to us because he gives us some good minutes off the bench. And he's a good kid."
Some season-long trends were working against the Silver Wolves against Layton. They hadn't won a road game or back-to-back contests this season before Tuesday. They accomplished both by beating the Lancers.
"Great time to get the first road victory of the season," Graziano said. "Our backs were against the wall, in a do-or-die situation. They (the Silver Wolves) responded."
A more important factor than Fremont's previous road struggles in Tuesday's elimination game was that the Silver Wolves just had Layton's number this season. They defeated the Lancers by 30 points the first time the two teams played.
Mitch Newey helped Fremont get off to a fast start, scoring 12 of his team-high 16 points in the first half. Layton's Gavin Green scored a game-high 18 points.
Playing Lone Peak isn't much of a reward for reaching the postseason for the Silver Wolves. But they are looking forward to it.
"The kids aren't satisfied," Graziano said. "They're hungry. They want to get up there and get a win."
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