High school boys basketball: Struggling Cottonwood pulls away from Provo for first win of season

Box score

Cottonwood’s boys basketball team opened the season ranked No. 1 in 4A but it was winless through three games, including a 30-point thrashing against Highland on Tuesday.

That rugged start is why the Colts’ 65-52 win over Provo on Thursday at the Corner Canyon Tournament of Champions was so important. It reassured the players that if they play the right way, everything will be just fine.

“There was a lot of concern. Bottom line, we weren’t playing as good as a team. Two of our stars were doing well, but they can do well, but if we’re losing, it doesn’t mean anything,” said Cottonwood coach Marc Miller.

The challenge heading into Thursday’s game against Provo was to get everyone involved, and that’s exactly what happened. Cottonwood had four players score in double figures, with Luka Cecez leading the way with 17 points and John Rosevear adding 14.

Cecez only scored four points against Highland and six against Richfield earlier this year, but he was much more involved against Provo.

“Luka was a lot more involved today than he’s been in the past, so it’s just a matter of getting everybody involved and not just having a couple people do everything,” said Miller.

Bo Smith also added 13 points with Luke Park scoring 12.

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Another big factor in the win for Cottonwood was shot selection. Miller said that about 70% of his team’s shots this year were contested shots, sometimes including 3-pointers.

Against Provo, the Colts attacked the rim, scoring most of their points from close range.

Provo, meanwhile, settled for a lot more 3-pointers throughout the game, and though the Bulldogs made eight, Cottonwood’s high-percentage makes throughout the game allowed it to pull away to improve to 1-3 on the season.

“We we’re trying to get into the paint more, penetrate the key, read the defense, kick out the open guys get just get better shots,” said Miller.

Cottonwood jumped out fast, building a quick 10-3 lead, with all 10 points coming at the rim, but Provo responded with a 13-4 run to close the quarter with a 16-14 lead.

The game remained tight until Cottonwood ended the half on a 10-0 run to take a 36-26 lead.

Provo cut the lead to three late in the third quarter on a 3-pointer from Gehrig Orchard, but Cottonwood went on a quick 7-0 run to regain a comfortable lead and it took care of business in the fourth quarter.

“We have a tendency to build a lead and then then kind of get a little bit selfish and do individual stuff,” Miller said. “We just have to go back and focus on it’s the team game. When we’re running, playing as a team, it’s usually when we’re at our best.”