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OGDEN — Round one of the 4A boys basketball championship opened Monday afternoon at the Dee Events Center, with the Corner Canyon Chargers (18-5) facing off against the Payson Lions (12-10).
In a closely contested game that featured six ties and nine lead changes, Payson secured the 46-45 victory with a game-winning 3-pointer by Jaden Terry.
Each team struggled to find its shots early, with the Chargers shooting just 32 percent and the Lions matching with 30 percent from the field.
Corner Canyon won the battle of the boards in the first half, outrebounding Payson 21-14, including eight offensive rebounds.
Cameron Dougherty of Corner Canyon led all scorers at halftime with nine points and eight rebounds. Corner Canyon took a slim 21-20 lead at the half.
The Lions held a slim three-point lead going into the fourth period. Corner Canyon quickly erased the deficit and the teams traded leads for most of the final period.
With the game tied at 43 with 11 seconds left in the game, Braxton Coon hit two free throws to put Corner Canyon on top by two.
Following the free throws, Payson pushed the ball down the court and found Terry open for the game-winning 3-pointer, securing the victory for the Lions in the final seconds of the game.
In addition to his game-winning 3-pointer, Terry finished the game with 13 points and was extremely efficient from long distance, hitting 4 of 8 from 3-point range in the game.
Payson's Bryce Wiberg was key to the Lions' victory, scoring 17 points, four rebounds and three assists in the game. Wiberg dictated the pace of the game in the second half and was aggressive in attacking the basket.
Corner Canyon had great contributions from Dougherty, who finished the game with a double-double, putting in 12 points and pulling down 11 rebounds. Brayden Johnson was also solid for the Chargers, scoring a team-high 13 points on 6 of 12 shooting.
Payson moves on to the quarterfinals to face No. 1 seed Woods Cross on Wednesday, March 2.
WOODS CROSS 69, HILLCREST 55
At Weber State, Woods Cross secured a round one victory over the Huskies with a dominating 69-44 win. The Wildcats asserted their will early and overwhelmed the Huskies with quick ball movement, tough defense and dead-eye shooting.
The Wildcats jumped out to a huge lead in the opening minutes, going on an 18-3 run in the first period of the game. Woods Cross shot lights out from behind the 3-point line in the first half, going 6 of 10 from long distance. The Wildcats were able to open up their shooters with quick passing and a solid inside-out game.
The Woods Cross defense gave nothing easy to Hillcrest from the outset, as the Huskies struggled to find a rhythm offensively, shooting just 21 percent from the field on 6 of 28 shooting in the first half.
Woods Cross' Trevin Knell led all scorers at the half with 11 points and five rebounds. Knell was locked in from long distance, going 3 of 4 from the 3-point line in the first two quarters. The Wildcats took a comfortable 34-14 lead into the locker room at halftime.
In the second half, Woods Cross never took the foot off the gas pedal, continuing the hot shooting from the first half. The Wildcats moved the ball well throughout the game, giving themselves quality open looks from the field.
Hillcrest was able to get some offensive rhythm in the second half, hitting four 3-pointers after going 0-for-7 in the first half, but could not contain Knell and the high-powered offense of Woods Cross. The Wildcats kept a double-digit lead throughout the second half as they coasted to a comfortable win.
Woods Cross played stifling defense throughout the game, holding Hillcrest to just 32 percent shooting and forcing 11 turnovers. The Wildcats were quick to switch defensively and rarely allowed any uncontested looks for Hillcrest.
Knell had a masterful performance, scoring 23 points on 9 of 15 shooting, hitting 4 of 5 from 3-point range. Knell also had eight rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocks in the game.
Hillcrest had a strong performance from Bassel Tekarli, who led the Huskies with 17 points and six rebounds in the game.
Stockton Ashby also turned in a solid outing for the Huskies with 13 points, eight rebounds and two blocks. Hillcrest finishes the season with an 11-11 record.
Mark Douglas covers Weber State football and basketball for KSL.com. Contact him at markdouglasmail@gmail.com or on Twitter @marktweetsports.
