The 1A boys basketball tournament: A gift that keeps on giving

The thing that comes up the most whenever I discuss the 1A boys basketball tournament is its uniqueness. The way that Utah’s small towns support their schools at this tournament is unrivaled in anything else in prep sports, and it makes it incredibly fun to come and cover each winter.
From that point of view, it’s almost easy to forget another obvious reason why the 1A tournament is so great – the games are almost always fantastic.
In the three previous years that I’ve covered this tournament, the number of really great games is in at least double digits. When I say “really great,” I mean it. Some of the things that have happened inside the Sevier Valley Center in this tournament have been nothing short of amazing and will be recounted for years to come.
So as I sat on press row inside the Sevier Valley Center today throughout the opening round of this year’s 1A tournament, I couldn’t help but think about the fact that none of the games had really been epic in the way that they usually are.
Don’t get me wrong – the games were really good. They just weren’t magical like they so often are in this tournament.
That is, they weren’t magical up until the last game.
And then the gift that keeps on giving (aka the 1A boys basketball tournament) produced a classic between Whitehorse and Liahona, a classic that Liahona eventually won when a Whitehorse desperation shot went wide at the buzzer.
That final contest was simply a fantastic back-and-forth basketball game, and it was the perfect way to cap Day 1 of the tournament.
I wrote complete games stories on all eight first-round that can be found on our Prep page by clicking here.
Before I finally close up this computer and head to bed, however, here are a few additional observations and thoughts from the 1A boys basketball tournament:

Liahona should get oodles of credit for surviving against Whitehorse in the first round. Whitehorse did what Whitehorse seemingly always does at this tournament – it put a show on, and the Raiders’ free-flowing offense came and went in spurts against Liahona.
But the Warriors, who are competing in varsity basketball for the first time in school history, took all the best shots that Whitehorse could deliver and survived a really crazy finish to post a two-point victory, 62-60.
And it doesn’t seem at all like Liahona is going to be content with winning just once in this tournament.
That much was clear when I interviewed Liahona coach Jeremy Long after the game and – on his own – he brought up the Warriors’ tilt with pre-tournament favorite Rich in Thursday’s quarterfinal round.
“We’re not scared of Rich,” said Long. “We’ve played them. We hung with them up there; we can hang with them here.”

When Panguitch coach Clint Barney opened the door to leave the locker-room following his team’s lethargic win over ICS, Barney shook his head and playfully told me, “I don’t want to talk to you after that.”
Ever a good quote, Barney made a thoughtful observation during our subsequent interview when I asked him about the fact that it always seems hard to win in the first round of this tournament – no matter who you’re playing.
“The way the Activities Association has set up the bracket now with the crossover games, I think perhaps the 1A tournament is more competitive than any other tournament because of that. It used to be that you’d have eight good teams, eight bad teams.
“Now, with Wasatch Academy, Liahona, and ICS is much improved – it’s 12 deep, at least.
“I just think that first day, you’re at a big venue, perimeter shots don’t go in – at least they didn’t go in for us (that’s our excuse is the big venue) – and defense usually wins out. I felt like that’s what won it for us because we never did get clicking offensively.”

It was sure strange to not see Escalante on the floor at the Sevier Valley Center. The two-time defending champs graduated a terrific class of seniors after last year’s title triumph and then lost multiple players between the end of last year and this year (a couple to transfers; others to injuries.) The Moquis got tougher and tougher as the season progressed but ultimately finished with an 0-20 record.
Nevertheless, Escalante’s co-head coaches, Greg Allen and Brent Cottam, were on hand to take in the action today during the first round.
Easily two of the best coaches in the state of Utah in any sport, Allen and Cottam didn’t try to mask the disappoint they felt in enduring such a difficult season. But I’ll guarantee you this – those two got the maximum out of what little they had this winter.

Speaking of Escalante, I also ran into Escalante’s Dirk Durfey today. I had a really nice conversation with Durfey at the end of the 1A girls tourney two weeks ago, and I was just never able to fit it in anywhere.
However, it’s very much worth noting that Durfey is working on creating a memorial run for his son Clayte, who died of brain cancer a year-and-a-half ago.
One of the most touching moments I’ve ever covered in high school sports came when Clayte, then a freshman, was able to lead out Escalante before the Moquis championship game against Piute two years ago.
Clayte, who would’ve been a big contributor in Escalante’s athletic program, passed away the following summer. But his brave battle with cancer has inspired a lot of people, and his father has been working for the past year or so to organize a run in his honor.
According to Dirk, plans are currently being laid to hold a 10K in Escalante on the 4th of July of this year. Dirk would like to one day hold a marathon that finishes in Escalante, but he told me they’re going to hopefully start out with a 10K this summer.