Alta hands top-ranked Orem its second loss of the year in 15-point thrashing
Any questions about Alta’s position as a contender in 5A were put to bed Friday night, as the Hawks handed top-ranked Orem its second loss of the season in a convincing 60-45 victory.
The Hawks limited the Tigers to nearly 17 points below their season scoring average in what was a stifling defensive performance from Alta, which emphasized the importance of contenting each shot and limiting Orem’s chances on the offensive glass.
Alta senior Jett Lundberg led all scorers with 26 points, followed by his teammate, Mason Roberts, who scored 16.
Though Lundberg and Roberts jump out on the scoresheet for the Hawks, head coach Travis Ohrn said it took contributions from everyone to pull out the statement win.
“Our guys are very unselfish…they don’t care who gets credit and they truly care about each other and winning,” Ohrn said. “We had some guys step up huge for us and I’m just so proud of our team and how they competed tonight. We have a lot of guys that do a lot of things that never show up in the box score.”
Ohrn also credited the student section for the role it played in the big win, and said it was a “great atmosphere for a high school basketball game.”
Dixie comes out on top in matchup between 4A’s top two teams
The top two teams in the 4A RPI met on the court Friday night, as the No. 2-ranked Dixie Flyers topped No. 1-ranked Snow Canyon by a score of 49-44.
Trailing by 10 heading into the second half, the Flyers outscored the Warriors 32-17 over the final 16 minutes of gameplay.
“So proud of our guys and how well we played defense in the second half,” Dixie head coach Tyler Roberts said. “Our seniors Bronson (Barben) and Cam (Dyer) were huge down the stretch. The guys are just out there having fun and you can see it. Big win for the FLYFAM.”
Dixie junior Grant Carter had what Roberts called “his best offensive game of the season,” scoring a game-high 18 points for the Flyers.
The loss was just the second of the year for Snow Canyon, which fell to 19-2 on the year.
Dixie improved to 15-4 on the season.
Payson survives a scare in impressive comeback win over Cedar Valley
Coming into the game as 5A’s third-ranked team in the RPI, Payson was hit in the mouth early by the Aviators, trailing by 17 points at halftime.
But the Lions responded and clawed their way back into the game to secure a 70-68 win over Cedar Valley.
Payson outscored the Aviators 21-8 in the third quarter to secure the momentum needed to close the game out in the fourth.
Cedar Valley hit 12 shots from beyond the arc in the first half, but were held to just one 3-point field goal in the second half.
“What a game...So proud of our boys that they didn’t give up,” Payson head coach Anthony Mitchell said. “We told them (at halftime) that we had to play as a team on both ends of the floor and that we had to do the little things better if we were going to win the game. Everyone chipped in and did their part to get this win.”
Miller added that if the Aviators can manage to shoot like they did tonight, he expects them to make noise in the state tournament.
Payson’s Isaac Wolfe scored a game-high 29 points in the victory, followed closely by Cedar Valley’s Cole Roberts, who scored 28.
Layton puts an end to Fremont’s hot stretch with last-second win
Facing a Fremont team that had been surging of late with wins over Davis, Farmington and Skyridge in its prior three games, the Layton Lancers played strong down the stretch to pickup a 52-51 upset win over the Silverwolves.
Layton’s KJ Miller scored nine of his game-high 17 points in the fourth quarter, while Brighton Palmer made the game-winning free throw with 0.3 seconds left.
Layton outscored Fremont 15-9 in the final quarter of play.
“It was great to see our team take a huge step forward tonight,” Layton head coach Kelby Miller said. “Down five going into the fourth quarter, we stayed together and pulled out a much needed win over a team that had been on a roll coming into the game.”
The impressive win was the six victory of the season for the Lancers, who now sit at 6-12 for the year.
Fremont fell to 10-7 with the loss.
Jack Wistrcill cements himself in school history in Olympus’ win over Murray
Olympus senior Jack Wistrcill became just the seventh player in school history to reach 1,000 career points in the Titans 70-48 win over Murray.
Wistrcill scored 22 points on the night, hitting two three pointers.
“Jack is a tremendous player,” Olympus head coach Matt Barnes said. “He is so good inside and outside, and his passing abilities really makes him a tough cover. His work ethic and coachability make him so fun to coach–He has big upside moving forward.”
Wistrcill’s teammate Dutch DowDell also chipped in 20 points in the win.
Olympus improved to 18-1 on the season and 9-0 in region play. The win, coupled with a loss from Orem, may be enough to move the Titans into 5A’s No. 1 spot in the RPI.