MONROE, Sevier County — It’s roughly a month and a half too early for the state high school basketball tournaments to start, but a 1-2 matchup in south central Utah didn’t disappoint.
In a crowded gym in Monroe, the No. 1-ranked Enterprise Wolves etched that ranking a little deeper as they led wire-to-wire in a 65-59 road win over No. 2 South Sevier.
With the basketball season roughly at its halfway point and most teams just getting started on region play, this Region 18 matchup carried plenty of implication as a possible championship preview in the 2A classification.
“I think it’s definitely possible,” Enterprise coach Bud Randall said of potentially meeting again in the postseason. “I would like to say that this the preview, but there’s some great teams.”
Going into hostile territory, Enterprise faced a team well known this season for its offensive prowess, but by halftime, it became clear that the Wolves offense was the unit that really came to play.
While the Rams had an uncharacteristic cold streak, seven of Enterprise’s 21 made shots were 3-pointers as the Wolves showed a very different side of what they normally are on the offensive end.
“We’re not known as a 3-point shooting team, but we do have (a few) who are 3-point shooters,” Randall said. “Our offense is designed to go through the post and then back out. We did that several times, went in and kicked it back out, and we had open looks as they were crashing on our (drives).”
Seniors Brady Crouch and Dax Hunt led Enterprise in scoring with 16 points each, and Hunt included three 3-pointers in that total. Junior forward Treyson Whitman added another 12 points.
South Sevier’s all-junior starting lineup had beaten its last three opponents by over 30 points each, including a 50-point win over Water Canyon. Yet, on Friday night, the Rams couldn’t find space to shoot against a stout Enterprise defense that forced 11 turnovers in the first two quarters. The Rams’ 18 first-half points were the lowest point total for them in any half this season.
South Sevier’s Brace Brindley, one of the top 3-point shooters in the state, was held scoreless in the half and would finish the game with just two points. Stockton Roberts and Jaggar Redd, South Sevier’s leading scorers, combined for just six points in the first half.
On the flip side, the Wolves took hold of the game offensively with a 12-3 run to begin the game. That hold became a vise grip in the final stretch of the half as they went on an 8-0 run to end the half, capped by back-to-back 3-pointers, for a 30-18 lead. Crouch had nine points to end the half.
Even with a firm hold on the game up to that point, the Wolves, in Randall’s seventh year, expected to see the Rams catch first eventually, and they were right. South Sevier, after trading baskets for a while in the third quarter and trailing by as much as 16, commenced a fierce rally to bring themselves back and went on a 10-0 run late in the third to draw within seven points of the Wolves.
Luckily, it was still Enterprise’s night on the offensive side, and a high-scoring fourth quarter went both ways as the Wolves preserved the lead.
For South Sevier, Redd and Roberts led in scoring with 18 and 16 points, respectively.
“Anytime you play a region rival like South Sevier, it’s always tough because they know what you’re going to do, (and) you know what they’re going to do,” Randall said. “It’s just whoever comes out and is able to execute a little bit better, and we were able to do that tonight.”
The Wolves have another tough one coming up if they want to stay in control of Region 18 as they head to Kanab on Jan. 10. That same day, South Sevier will stay at home to host San Juan.