High school boys basketball: Orem showcases defensive grit in victory against American Fork

Box score

Orem continues to look the part as the best basketball team in Utah.

The Tigers rolled to a 61-46 victory over American Fork on Friday night at the Corner Canyon Tournament of Champions, improving their record to 6-0.

Orem began the week ranked No. 44 in the MaxPreps national rankings but it will continue to climb them with solid wins like it picked up on Friday.

Coach Jace Tavita was particularly pleased with how his team had to grind defensively for Friday’s win.

“Every game is a little different. We like to run and have a fast-tempo type of game. They’re more traditional and like to slow it down, but we have no problems playing like that either so it was good to see our team be challenged to be disciplined and grind out a win,” said Tavita.

At times Orem had to defend all 35 seconds of the shot clock, but Tavita said his team was equal to the challenge on most possessions.

The difference in the game was realistically an eight-minute stretch spanning the second and third quarters as the Tigers ripped off a wild 23-2 run.

Before the stretch, American Fork led 23-18, but Orem scored nearly every time it touched the ball over the next eight minutes, eventually taking over the lead and then expanding it to 41-25 at the 3:50 mark of the third quarter.

Before the decisive stretch, Orem tried to press and trap to force turnovers, but Tavita said it burned his team on several occasions, so he just opted to play it straight up defensively.

“We decided we’re just going to be solid, play some disciplined defense, get stops and scores,” said Tavita.

At the other end, most of Orem’s buckets came in the lane as Jax Allen’s dribble penetration allowed him to create looks for himself but also open teammates with kick-out passes and passes in the lane.

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BYU signee Chamberlain Burgess benefitted from several of those passes as he finished with 22 points, while Trey Hiatt added 13.

“When you have guards like Jax Allen who can attack the paint and hit open guys and then when you have guys like Trey Hiatt and Chamberlain Burgess, that’s why our strength is in the paint. We feel like if we can win that battle every game we’re going to have success,” said Tavita.

Allen added points 13 points for the Tigers.

Burgess transferred to Orem for his senior year after playing his first three years at Lone Peak, and he’s a big reason for the Tigers’ early-season success.

“He’s just taking us to another level. He’s someone to protect the rim. He can also shoot so he can stretch out the floor for us as well. He just brings so much energy. He plays so fast up and down the court. He’s just taken us to another level,” said Tavita.

Orem will face some very difficult games in the next couple weeks as it plays Duncanville, Texas, and St. Raymond, N.Y. at the Lehi Holiday Hoopfest next week.

After Christmas, it travels to Bristol, Tennessee, where it could potentially play St. Joseph, California, which is ranked in the top 20 nationally.

“We just need to stay focused,” Tavita said. “With all the rankings and big wins we’ve had, just stay focused and try and get better every day.”