Wednesday night boys hoops observations

As far I’m concerned, American Fork deserves it’s No. 1 ranking. Last week I watched them beat Bountiful – probably the best team in 4A. Wednesday night I watched them beat Timpview 46-36 in a pretty ugly game. Ugly, however, is all a matter of perspective. The Cavemen are an outstanding defensive team and it showed as Timpview couldn’t get anything offensively shooting just 29 percent.

In chatting with Timpview coach Perry Wildeboer after the game, he said coming into the season he thought American Fork was the best team in 5A. He said they’re the type of team that won’t overwhelm people, but they’re solid and will find ways to win games consistently. Six games into the season he’s spot on with his assessment. American Fork only scored 30 points through three quarters Wednesday, but Timpview only scored 17.

Wildeboer’s team, however, has bigger problems. The defending 4A champs are 2-3 this preseason and just aren’t playing well. Wildeboer admits he’s concerned about the work ethic of his team, but insists the T-Birds will be fine.

Here are some other observations from Wednesday’s night’s slate of boys basketball games:

Cottonwood’s two-game winning streak came to an abrupt end as Lone Peak thrashed the Colts 64-32. It really shouldn’t be a surprise based on expectations coming into the season, but Cottonwood had turned some heads with its win over Lone Peak last week. Nick Emery and T.J. Haws put an end to that with 22 and 19 points respectively.
Every night South Sevier proves it’s real deal. The Rams’ 57-36 win over Richfield is another indication of that. It’s probably too early to start making predictions, but I wouldn’t be surprised if South Sevier put together another undefeated season.
It what might’ve been a preview of a 3A playoff game later this year, Morgan beat Park City 71-66. Casey Evans led Morgan with 22 points.
The night after beating Brighton in its most impressive victory of the season, Riverton followed it up with a 57-48 victory over Skyline. In many respects it was one of the ‘Wolves best performances of the season because it proved they can avoid the letdown.
In the region opener for both teams, Desert Hills picked up a huge victory by jumping out to a 22-8 first quarter lead en route to a 68-54 victory. It was the Thunder’s fourth straight victory since a 49-46 overtime victory at Juan Diego.

What happened at your game on Wednesday night?