A look back at some early-season tournaments
This time of year offers us the chance to see local teams in all sorts of tournaments. While no two tournaments are created equal, some of these early results could have a long ranging impact as the season progresses.
Here is my look back at some key games and key tournaments thus far:
2A Preseason Preview (at Sevier Valley Center) —
One of the most unexpected developments at this annual tournament was Rowland Hall’s 50-48 upset of defending 2A champion Manti. The Winged Lions rallied from a eight point halftime deficit by outscoring the Templars 17-8 in the third quarter. Containing the high-powered duo of Zach Arthur and Jared Accettura was nearly impossible for Manti. Arthur had 18 points and Accettura chipped in another 12 — accounting for 60 percent of Rowland Hall’s offense.
That defeat is the only one for Manti so far, meaning that the Winged Lions are certain to be a factor in a loaded Region 14.
Another surprising result involved Richfield and North Summit. The Wildcats topped the Braves 43-42 in overtime. Not too shabby when you consider North Summit is a three-time defending Region 14 champion and is 3-0 against 3A competition in the preseason.
It signaled just how good Richfield’s defense might be this season. The Wildcats currently allow only 38.3 points per game — the least among 2A schools.
1A Preseason Preview (at Sevier Valley Center) —
Piute bounced back from a 1-2 start to show it might be a bigger factor in Region 15 than originally thought. The Thunderbirds beat Christian Heritage and Tabiona during the two-day tournament. Solid perimeter shooting from Jaylin Christensen and Tyson Westwood helped the T-Birds rally after blowing a nine-point lead against Christian Heritage for a 47-45 victory.
The T-Birds jumped on Tabiona from the beginning during the second day in Richfield and stayed comfortably ahead most of the way for a 49-40 victory over the Tigers. Both teams that fell to Piute were projected to finish in the top three of their respective regions.
The biggest upset had to be Valley’s 42-32 triumph over Duchesne. The Buffaloes were projected to finish 5th in Region 15 before the season, while the Eagles were projected to finish second in Region 16. Valley used a 17-3 run in the third quarter to rally from a six point deficit and take control.
The Region 15 frontrunner remains Escalante until proven otherwise. The Moquis looked quite impressive in beating Monticello and Whitehorse by more than 30 points each.
Dixie Holiday Tournament (at Burns Arena) —
Sky View looked quite impressive in this two-day affair on the Dixie State Campus. The Bobcats beat host Dixie 48-42 on the first day. Erik Berntson had 16 points to help Sky View rally and pull away from the Flyers in the fourth quarter. The Flyers went up 30-29 in the third quarter after mounting a rally of their own, but Sky View scored four straight points to close out the quarter and take the lead for good.
Sky View followed by dominating Timpanogos the next day in a 54-40 victory behind 22 points from Brayden Compton.
Road victories such as these can only provide positive experience for the Bobcats in Region 5 where wins in hostile gyms are nearly impossible to produce.
Coal Country Classic (at Emery High) —
Emery is looking to stake a claim to the Region 8 title with preseason favorite Juan Diego in a swoon after blowout losses to Layton Christian, Waterford and Skyline.
The Spartans took a good first step by winning their own tournament over the weekend. Emery dispatched previous undefeated Unitah 62-52 behind 22 points from Nevin Jensen and scratched out a 54-52 victory over archrival Carbon on Jensen’s running 10-footer as time expired. Jensen finished with 20 points in that game to lead the Spartans.
Emery currently holds a 4-1 record, the third best mark behind Waterford (5-0) and Bear River (4-0) in 3A.
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