High school boys basketball: Gavin Lowe leads Olympus’ near-perfect effort in 5A championship win

Box score

The Olympus boys basketball team prides itself on not having too many transfers — in or out — of its program.

Titans coach Matt Barnes says most of his teams have been senior-laden and, if players wait and take their turn, good things will happen.

That prediction, however, came true earlier than expected Friday night as junior guard Gavin Lowe scored 35 points and the Titans played a near-perfect brand of basketball en route to a 69-40 win over Highland in the 5A championship game at the University of Utah’s Jon M. Huntsman Center.

“It was domination,” said Barnes, whose clubs won state titles in 2016, 2018, 2022 and last year. “We know those guys (at Highland) and we love those guys but tonight we dominated them. It was exciting. It was Olympus basketball.

“(Winning) gives us a little more room to operate. We’ve shot it well here. It was unbelievable. Springville’s great, Timpview, Highland; to run through that gauntlet the way we did is pretty remarkable.”

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It was Lowe who played the biggest part. Barnes said he recognized Lowe’s talent early, and Lowe made the team as a freshman. He had seven points in Oly’s title-game win over Alta at the Huntsman Center last year and topped off a remarkable junior season Friday by making 12-of-21 shots, as well as 7 of 7 free throws.

He added six rebounds and six assists to help the Titans overwhelm the Rams in every statistical category.

Even Highland coach Chris Jones who impressed.

“They creamed us,” said Jones, who used to be an Olympus fan when his sons were major figures in Oly’s program. “They beat us in every aspect of the game.”

The Rams, who split the season series with the Titans and finished tied with them for the Region 6 title, stayed close until the third quarter but never figured out how to corral Olympus’ guards, especially Lowe, from driving to the basket.

The Titans’ earlier tourney wins were highlighted by 3-point shooting. On this night, Highland tried to guard that line but seven of Olympus’ 13 first-half baskets were layups, and the Titans still managed to make 4 of 8 3-pointers to build a 34-25 lead.

“I just kept shooting,” said Lowe, who scored in double figures in each game this season and boosted his average to 22.0 points per game with Friday’s effort. “I missed my first shot but then got a rebound and made it, and my teammates just told me to keep going.

“I love playing here (at the Huntsman Center), when the lights are the brightest. I’ve been here for three years, and up here, the court’s a little bit bigger. The spacing is better and I always say we’ve got to peak at the right time.”

Lowe had 17 points by halftime, and also had plenty of help. Junior guard Caden Jackson and 6-foot-9 sophomore forward Davian Lazarus added 11 points each.

Lazarus was also deadly from outside, making all three of his 3-point attempts.

The game really got out of hand in the third quarter when Highland’s shooting stalled and Olympus went on a 10-0 scoring spurt. That gave the Titans a 51-29 lead and the raucous Titans student cheering section went wild.

The game never got better for Highland, which reached the semifinals last year and proudly moved another step forward with a junior-laden team this season.

Isaiah Drisdom paced the Rams with nine points. Jack Anderton had eight, while Soren Ries and Vai Higby added six each.

Highland shot 50% in the first half but then made just 6 of 22 shots (27.2%) after that and ended its season with a 23-4 mark.

5A All-tournament team

MVP — Gavin Lowe, Olympus

Davian Lazarus, Olympus

Luke Owen, Olympus

Jack Anderson, Highland

Soren Ries, Highland

Josh Mawhinney, Brighton