5A State Boys: Kemp sparks Lancers to semifinal win over Viewmont


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OGDEN — Layton’s boys basketball team needed a spark.

With the Lancers clinging to a 5-4 lead after the first quarter, with only two points from UC Santa Barbara signee Jarriesse Blackmon, head coach Kelby Miller made a call to his supporting cast.

Jakoby Kemp answered the call.

The 6-foot-8 junior forward scored 10 points, all in the second quarter, as the Lancers unleashed an 11-3 run to go up by 10 at halftime and hold off Viewmont 48-41 on Friday in a Class 5A state semifinal at Weber State’s Dee Events Center.

“I was just trying to get my team pumped, to get them in the game,” Kemp said. “I wanted to keep us there, and they took us the rest of the way.

“Jarriesse wasn’t hitting too well, so I just took over and tried to get the pressure off of him.”

Kemp also finished with four blocked shots, two rebounds and an assist for the Lancers (17-7), who will face Brighton (16-9) in the 5A state title game Saturday at 12:30 p.m.

Blackmon finished with nine points and seven rebounds for Layton, and Matt Cragun supplied 11 points, four rebounds and two assists for the Lancers.

Jakoby Kemp of Layton goes for a block against Jake Walker of Viewmont during the Class 5A boys basketball state tournament in Ogden, Friday, Feb. 27, 2015. (Ravell Call/Deseret News)
Jakoby Kemp of Layton goes for a block against Jake Walker of Viewmont during the Class 5A boys basketball state tournament in Ogden, Friday, Feb. 27, 2015. (Ravell Call/Deseret News)

“It’s great when Jarriesse scores a lot of points, but the rest of these kids are good enough that we don’t need him to score 25 or 30 every night,” Miller said. “I know some teams have guys who they need to score that much. We aren’t one of those types of teams. I thought we were good enough defensively that it didn’t matter that he was having an off night with his foul trouble. It was nice to go to Jakoby; he’s the kid who we have faith in for those situations.”

Austin Johnson and Jake Walker combined to score 39 of Viewmont’s 41 points. Johnson led all scorers with 26 points, and Walker added 13 points and two assists for the Vikings, who got only two points from Braedon Alldredge to complete their scoring.

“Our guys just wanted to get out and play defense,” said Miller, whose team held Viewmont to 37 percent shooting. “Johnson and Walker did a great job for them, but I really thought the difference was we shut everybody else down.

“It’s impressive. Any time you can hold a team to 41 points, you are doing all right in the end.

Viewmont (15-10) nearly completed the comeback when Johnson’s 3-pointer from the top of the key capped a 7-2 run to bring the Vikings within a point, 42-41, with 1:18 left to play. But junior point guard Julian Blackmon jumped into a passing lane on the Vikings’ next offensive possession, earning free throws for Dallin Watts, who helped put the game away from the line with 27 seconds remaining.

“Julian was being Julian again, coming up with that big steal there,” Miller said. “That’s what he is really good at.”

The Lancers finished the game on a 6-0 run, all on free throws, to earn the victory.

Julian Blackmon finished with six points, five assists and three steals, and Watts supplied seven points for the balanced Lancers.

“We’re just a team. We play together,” Kemp said. “If one’s not hitting, the other is. That’s just the way it goes.”

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