Friday night boys hoops observations
It finally felt like high school basketball season for me at the Fremont-Davis game last night. It was a dramatic contest, a great crowd cheering on the home team, and a game that meant something in the Region 1 standings.
And there’s a new team on top of 5A’s northern league: Fremont. The Silver Wolves lead Davis, the four-time reigning Region 1 champions by one game, and they’re ahead of Syracuse by 1 games. I was impressed by both teams — Davis for erasing a 16-point fourth quarter deficit and Fremont for showing some grit and pulling out a tough win in overtime.
Other observations from Friday night’s games:
West and Highland were both back in action following their ugly Tuesday brawl. West (8-2), down one suspended player, struggled against Cyprus (1-9) in the Region 2 opener for both teams, winning 55-51 in overtime. Highland, without two suspended players, lost a close game to Bountiful, 44-42, in the Region 6 opener for both teams.
Two other games we covered were decided in the final seconds. Provo’s Kyle Collinsworth hit a shot to give the Bulldogs a two-point victory over Lehi, and Brighton’s Corbin Miller did the same thing for his team in a win over American Fork.
Northridge’s Chad Colby also got in on the late-game heroics, scoring on a putback with 4 seconds left to give the Knights a 47-46 overtime win over Clearfield.
Valley’s Clay Williams was the night’s top scorer, pouring in 35 points and six 3-pointers in a 63-60 overtime win over Milford. Lance Maxwell also deserves some praise, as he scored late in the game to force overtime. He had 18 points for the Buffaloes.
Mount Vernon’s David Black had a big night, scoring 33 points in a 52-49 win at Wendover. Maybe I should have covered that game.
The top two scorers of the night from the large schools came from the same game. Freshman Nick Emery scored 31 points with five 3-pointers in Lone Peak’s 66-57 win over Alta. Kyle Davis had 31 points for the Hawks in a losing effort.
Nice win for Desert Hills over Dixie. The Thunder trailed by 10 going into the fourth quarter but scored 35 points in the final period to earn a 66-61 win over the Flyers. Are the Thunder a contender in 3A?
Ben Lomond regrouped after suffering its first loss of the season. The Scots trailed Bear River by nine at halftime before coming back to force overtime. Ben Lomond, led by Marco Perez, eventually defeated Bear River, 46-41. The Scots won their first 10 games of the season before losing to Salem Hills on Wednesday.
What happened at the game you went to on Friday night?