Kanab 72, APA West Valley 59
Kanab never trailed in its 2A quarterfinal victory over APA West Valley.
Even though it was an early 9:30 a.m. game, Kanab head coach Jerron Glazier made sure his team was awake and ready.
“A 9:30 game is interesting, but we got them up early at the hotel,” said Glazier.
“We had about an eight-hour trip to get up here yesterday from Kanab. But we got the boys up early and got in the gym early this morning and it felt like a normal game. We did our best to create the environment that they were comfortable with.”
Kanab had a steady flow of offense in the first half, shooting 56% from the field and 50% from 3. The Cowboys’ Jordan Cornell had four 3-pointers in the first half and put up 22 total points.
Kanab was on fire out of the gate, outscoring American Prep 26-10 in the first quarter. American Prep responded with a 21-point second quarter to bring the game within 11 at half.
The Cowboys kept up the pressure out of the half, scoring 21 in the third quarter capped by Kason Janes hitting a buzzer-beater 3-pointer to put the Cowboys up 20 going into the fourth.
Despite the score, American Prep fought in the fourth, outscoring Kanab 21-14, but the effort wasn’t enough to overcome the lead the Cowboys had built up.
In the quarterfinal win, Kanab’s senior trio of Cornell, Logan Little and Janes scored 59 of their team’s 72 total points.
“I think the boys came out and just did some really good stuff. We had some moments where we kind of struggled but for the most part I’m really happy with how we played,” said Glazier.
The Cowboys will go from an early 9:30 a.m. game Thursday to a late 9:10 p.m. game Friday night in the 2A semifinals.
Duchesne 59, Millard 55
Seventh-seed Duchesne shocked No. 2 seed Millard in the 2A quarterfinals at SLCC on Thursday, sending Millard home after a 59-55 victory.
Things were looking good for Millard at first. Hunter Rhoades went off for 18 in the first half and helped secure a 29-24 lead.
It started to go a little south for Millard as Duchesne answered back with a tough defensive scheme that only allowed Millard to score six third-quarter points. Duchesne, meanwhile, put up 14 points of its own to take the lead.
“First of all Hunter Rhoades and Brant Stevens are great players and Millard is (a great) team,” said Duchesne head coach Billy Hoopes.
“Our kids knew that coming in, and we’re really familiar with them since this is the third time we’ve played them this year and every game has been tight,” he said. “We did a few things, we had our best defenders on (Rhoades and Stevens) then helped off a little bit from everyone enough to alter some shots and make a difference.”
It went back and fourth in the fourth quarter. For a moment, it seemed Millard would take the win when Michael Ralphs hit a 15-foot jump shot to put Millard up two with 20 seconds left.
However, on the next possession, Duchesne’s Cade Gines raised up to the challenge and hit a tough floater to push the game to overtime.
Overtime was the same back-and-forth game, with neither side getting a significant advantage.
That is, until Duchesne’s Jep Young had a clutch block late in overtime and Gines hit multiple clutch shots to help put the game away.
“Every kid stepped up and just did a fantastic job. Everyone bought into our game plan and it worked. Everyone did a great job and it was a great team win,” said Hoopes.
Duchesne had major contributions from everywhere on the roster. Young had 17 points with two offensive boards in the third and a clutch block in overtime. Gines had a few go-ahead buckets in overtime as well as the shot that pushed the game into overtime
And Dallin Porter put up a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds for Duchesne.
It was the first win of the season over Millard for Duchesne, which lost to Millard in both meetings this season.
Despite the exciting win, there is some pain associated with taking out a fellow small school.
“Its hard because I like all those kids for Millard,” said Hoopes.
“Those boys have been playing their whole lives for this moment so it can be hard to watch. It means so much to be from small towns and compete with each other.”
“Every kid over there wanted it just as much as our kids did, we lucked out and came out with a tough win.”
Parowan 46, Enterprise 40
Top-seeded Enterprise fell to No. 8 seed Parowan in a tough battle in the 2A quarterfinal game.
Parowan played hard from the start, played tough defense and got the ball moving on offense, which earned the Rams a 12-9 lead after the first quarter.
However, both teams gave full effort and no one team truly gained sole advantage for the majority of the game.
Through the first three quarters no team led by three or more points than their opponent.
But when it came down to it, it was Parowan that gave the extra effort to gain any advantage it could.
Every Parowan player was giving it his all. Whether it was Luke Millett who came up with a big block and offensive boards, Brock Felder who made tough shots and got a block of his own in transition defense, or Cash Mortensen who hit a go-ahead baseline jumper.
Every time Enterprise scored or got a turnover, every Parowan player was running back and immediately playing tough defense.
“It’s those key little things which we emphasized this tournament, that every possession is critical,” said Parowan head coach Rod Murphy.
“You got to be the first person who is going outhustle the other guy for the boards and to loose balls. It’s those types of things that is going to be a game changer.
“We tell them that all the time. Only they are in charge of how hard they want to play. If you don’t want to go get it it’s not going to happen. It has nothing to do with the coaching side of things, it’s them that does all the work.
“We throw them out there and try to put in the best possible positions and matchups but if they don’t want to execute the offense or they don’t want to run hard on defense then it’s on them,” Murphy said.
“But man did they hustle. It wasn’t our highest scoring game but that’s the state tournament and its tough out there.”
“They played hard and never quit. Was a fantastic game on both sides and a great game.”
Felder was a real standout for the Rams, filling up the stat sheet with 15 points, nine rebounds, seven assists and four blocks.
It was a well-earned win for the Rams, who are excited to continue postseason play.
“Enterprise is great, coach Randall is great, and their kids are great but it’s great to knock off any opponent. I don’t care what their ranking is, just get the win and move on to the next one,” said Murphy.
“Last year we got knocked out in this exact same game against the exact same opponent. Hopefully we can do what they did, go and get a chance to play for a state title.”
American Heritage 64, South Sevier 49
An impressive shooting performance from American Heritage proved to be too much for South Sevier to handle as the Patriots advanced to the 2A semifinals.
In the victory, the Patriots put up 53% from the field and 47% from three and heavily won the rebounding game 38-20.
Thanks to the shotmaking, South Sevier found itself in a hole early that it was never able to climb out of.
The overall effort from the Patriots was more than enough to advance to the 2A semifinals.
“First off, all glory to God, Second, all respect to South Sevier. They’re a top four team for a reason. They have great a great coach and great players I have nothing but respect for them,” said American Heritage coach Paora Winitana.
“We have put in more work than any other team, I believe that because I designed the program and I’m a little crazy.”
“I try to help them, lead them, guide them, try and show them the way. But at the end of the day, it’s all up to them. I give them a game plan and they have to execute. Our boys have grown so much in such a short period of time.”
Ricky Patterson and Niwhai Winitana each had a double-double for the Patriots — Patterson with 20 points and 10 rebounds, and Winitana with 16 points and 11 rebounds.
Despite the convincing win, there were moments where South Sevier was close to crawling back. There were a few times when the team got consecutive stops and went on 4- or 6-point runs.
But each South Sevier was swiftly shut down with purposeful ball movement and team defense from the Patriots.
“They weren’t afraid of making mistakes. They didn’t play perfectly, we gave up too many turnovers and offensive rebounds. But it’s about being disciplined, living in the moment, not letting the moment control you, and I thought our boys did an exceptional job of that,” Winitana said.
“I love my boys so much, their families have raised some amazing young men and now I have the privilege of spending some more time with them on the court.”