6A boys championship: Fremont edges Davis to clinch title

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SALT LAKE CITY — The 6A boys state tournament wrapped up Saturday at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City. Here’s at look at how Fremont won it all.

Saturday, 08:18pm

Final: Fremont trades barbs with Davis, comes away with 6A title

SALT LAKE CITY — In a back-and-forth affair between the Davis Darts and Fremont Silverwolves, it was Fremont who emerged from the Huntsman Center as 6A champions, beating the top-seeded Darts 55-52. "They know how good they are," Fremont head coach Corey Melaney said. "We swept Davis the past two years, and this year they got us both times. Our confidence wasn’t shaken like you would think it might be." Davis was the first to score, but it was Fremont that took the early first-half lead. The Darts reclaimed the lead in the second quarter off a layup in transition and a Dylan Perrenoud jump shot. Fremont’s Kip Calder gave the Silverwolves the lead right back by draining a 3-pointer the next trip down the floor. The Silverwolves and Darts continued to trade punches through the first half, with the largest differential being a 5-point Fremont lead. At the break, Fremont held a 2-point advantage. Davis’ fast break offense gave them a quick 2-point lead within the opening moments of the third quarter as Spencer Vernon continued the Darts' push with a 3-pointer before Fremont's Tige Voorhees snagged the lead right back with three made free-throws. The back and forth continued with each team answering the other's made shots. The two teams' defensive efforts were also notable with a combined 16 steals. The Silverwolves’ Dallin Hall took over and extended the lead to bring the house down with a right-handed slam dunk to give a sharp edge to Fremont. Moments later, Baylor Harrop gave the Silverwolves their largest lead of the night with a 3-pointer to extend their advantage to six. Davis' fight and experience led them to tie the game with 5:10 to play in the game as the boxing match continued in front of a deafening crowd. Perrenoud threw up Davis' last second 3-point heave to tie the game at the end of regulation, but the shot would bounce off the back of the iron to give Fremont the victory. "I’m trying to think of if we have another game we need to get ready for," Melaney said, as his grin touched both ears. "It’s so great. I’m so happy for these guys and for our community. Our guys are so great. I just love them." — Brayden Ramsay, KSL.com

Friday, 11:27pm

Semifinal: Hall's 38 power Silverwolves past Lancers, into title game

SALT LAKE CITY — After 38 points, five 3-pointers, four rebounds, three assists, five steals and a bloody nose, Dallin Hall emerged from the locker room underneath the seats at the Huntsman Center. And he had one more thing, too: a victory. The Fremont star’s Herculean effort paced the Silverwolves to a 72-66 comeback victory over Layton in a Class 6A state semifinal late Friday night, setting up a winner-take-all, all-Region 1 championship game with Davis a day later in the same locale. “The game before I didn’t have to do much. I could save my legs a bit,” Hall quipped. “I can still bring it tomorrow.” Just a day after finishing with one field goal in a quarterfinal victory, the top unsigned recruit in the state with offers from BYU, Utah and Utah State scored 19 points with two assists in the first half. But it wasn’t enough; Preston Squire had 12 on a perfect 4-for-4 shooting and Ethan Potter added 11 points and six rebounds to lift the Lancers to a 35-29 lead at the break. “We knew he was going to be aggressive,” Fremont coach Corey Melaney said. “He’s not going to score 2 points in back-to-back games like that.” Hall’s brilliance was undeniable, but it took an army to topple Layton (21-3). Tige Voorhees and Mitch Stratford each scored 9 points, and Baylor Harrop added 8 points, nine rebounds and five assists for the Silverwolves (22-3). “It’s just a great team win. Dallin was aggressive early, hit great shots, and his stepback was awesome,” Melaney said. “And then when they did double him and left somebody open, those guys stepped up and hit them when they needed to.” Perhaps none of Hall’s 12 field goals were bigger than the one he hit with just under two minutes left in the third quarter. The senior scored his 29th point to pull the Silverwolves within a point, 43-42, and Harrop tied the game with a free throw on the next offensive possession. Game reset — and a tie game at 45-all ahead of the final period. “My teammates open everything up for me, and the defenses can’t collapse,” Hall said. “I just take what they give me.” Hall capped an 8-0 run to open the fourth quarter with a 3-pointer — 32 points, for those counting, enough to match the jersey number of one James Taft Fredette he was emulating — and added a steal and coast-to-coast fast break that put the Silverwolves up 52-45 a minute into the period. This game was just getting started. Potter pulled Layton within 5, 61-56 with a 3 from the top of the key with just over three minutes to go — and Jacob Randall made it a one-possession game, 64-62 with a 4-point play before the final two minutes. With Hall gasping for breath after a 35-point night, the Silverwolves’ supporting cast took over. Voorhees. Harrop. Kip Calder. Talmage Mitchell from the line. It all added up to a 69-64 lead with 45 seconds to go. And who sealed it for the Silverwolves? None other than Hall, knocking down 9 of 11 free throws and forcing a game-high five steals to clinch the victory — on either end of the court. “Our game plan was to dig it out of the post, and make Potter pass it out. I was in position, and would hurry to get in. Sometimes I’d get it, and other times I’d force them to pass it out. “Right place, right time, I guess.” — Sean Walker, KSL.com

Friday, 09:44pm

Semifinal: Top-seeded Davis overturns 4th-quarter deficit to top Lone Peak

SALT LAKE CITY — Top-seeded Davis High’s boys basketball team found itself in a position Friday during the Class 6A state semifinals that had only happened once before. The nearly-undefeated Darts trailed 44-37 to 12th-seeded Lone Peak. Panic? Nerves? Disappointment at a close game that the Knights led almost from the opening tip? There was none of that. Spencer Vernon had a game-high 19 points on 6-of-7 shooting, and the Darts used a 26-17 fourth quarter to end Lone Peak’s Cinderella run 63-61 inside an electric Huntsman Center. “We haven’t been down much, but that’s the thing that’s so good about our team,” Vernon said. “We just play team basketball and we know that the next guy is going to step up and make a play.” Jake Sampson added 15 points for the Darts (23-1), who overturned their first third-quarter deficit since Jan. 17 — a 67-62 loss to rival Layton. Trevan Leonhardt added 10 points and eight assists, plus a perfect 6-for-6 effort from the free-throw line, to help rally Davis with a 10-1 run in the fourth quarter to take a 47-45 lead on Vernon’s spin move with 4:57 remaining. “We switched on a few guys that we were guarding, and then we started to hit a few shots,” said Vernon, whose team made 6 of 8 shots in the fourth quarter and finished making 48.7% from the field. “Our coach put in a few plays we ran that got us some open looks, and that really helped.” Lone Peak (14-11) — which led by as many as 8 points and held a 29-24 edge at halftime — never led after Dylan Perrenoud scored 3 of his 9 second-half points off the bench with 6:20 remaining. “To be honest, we haven’t been in that position very much this year,” Davis coach Chad Sims said. “I mean, I don’t know if our guys were ready for it. But the state tournament brings out the best in guys, and some guys have been here before … and they stepped up and came back. I’m just proud of them for staying with it, grinding through it, and coming back.” Cameron Brimhall had 19 points and six rebounds to lead the Knights, who got 15 points and five assists from Corbin Zentner and 13 points and eight rebounds from Josh Jackson. Lone Peak outgunned the Darts across the box score: 21-19 from the field, 7-5 from 3-point range, 26-20 on the boards, and 12-8 on assists. But Davis forced 12 turnovers, including three steals from Leonhardt and two each by Vernon and Sampson, and made 20 of 22 free throws to hold on down the stretch. “We were trying to do things that were out of character, and then offensively, we just kept it simple,” Sims said. “Attack the basket, and knock down some shots. “We just tried to simplify it.” — Sean Walker, KSL.com

Wednesday, 05:31pm

Quarterfinal: Potter returns from injury, guides Layton past Pleasant Grove 73-59

SALT LAKE CITY — Ethan Potter returned from an injury to score 28 points, grab 13 rebounds and push No. 3 Layton to a 73-59 quarterfinal victory over No. 11 Pleasant Grove Wednesday afternoon. Early in the game, Potter hit the floor, clutching his ankle and was helped to the training room. When he returned to the floor at the tail-end of the first quarter, the Layton bench and fans in attendance exhaled a sigh of relief. It was for good reason; after a couple minutes of loosening up and testing his injured ankle, the Lancer stud was an unstoppable force. The 6-foot-8 junior could do it all for Layton – and did. He posted up, scored baskets inside and got fouled along the way. “There was a little worry on my part,” Layton head coach Kelby Miller said. “I know how it felt when he went into the locker room and he stayed down for a little bit. Ethan is one of the best players in the state, it’s a no-brainer. When he comes back out, it’s obviously a big lift emotionally for our team.” Defensively, Potter used his body to block the lane and his quickness to snag boards, block shots and steal the basketball. After the first quarter, the Lancers clung to a 1-point lead. Once Potter got rolling, the Lancers went on a 24-8 run, and, to add a cherry on top, Potter drained a 3-pointer to include one more thorn in the side of the Vikings. Layton took a 33-16 lead into the intermission. “I’m not going to miss any state tournament games, there’s no way I’m going to be out for that,” Potter said. “The first couple minutes were a little bit (hard to loosen up), but once I got the adrenaline going, I was good the rest of the game.” Down 22 midway through the third quarter, the Vikings cut into the deficit slowly but surely. With three minutes left in regulation, the Vikings trailed by only 6 points thanks in part to the deep ball. The Vikings drained seven second-half 3-pointers. Layton made a defensive adjustment and turned again to Potter to guide them to the semifinals. “I just told them to maintain composure and we did some things defensively to stay out on the shooters,” Miller said. “I didn’t really feel like they were hurting us inside. It was a lot of draw and kick type of things, so we made that adjustment to stay out on the shooters and it worked out for the better.” After the adjustment, Potter threw down a two-hand slam, completed a 3-point play and drained two free throws to put the game out of reach for Layton. “I always try and get more dunks in these games because it gets me more hyped,” Potter said. “It’s a lot different than regular-season games.” The Lancers will move on to face off against No. 2 Fremont, who they split with in region play. Tipoff is set for 8:40 p.m. MST on Friday. “The hay is in the barn: we are who we are, they are who they are. There’s not anything they’re going to do that we haven’t seen this year and so, ultimately, I think it comes down to who is executing their stuff the best,” Miller said. — Ty Bianucci, KSL.com

Wednesday, 02:36pm

Quarterfinal: Fremont's hot hand scorches West Jordan

SALT LAKE CITY — Fremont’s Mitch Stratford and Kip Calder hit a combined 10 3-pointers to pace the Silverwolves to a 77-54 rout over the No. 10-seeded West Jordan Jaguars, and to advance to the 6A semifinal round of the state tournament Wednesday. The pair’s 10 threes were just a part of Fremont’s scorching hot hand from behind the arc as the team hit 16 total threes in the game, including 11 in the first half. The hot-shooting half gave the Silverwolves a 15-point lead that only grew in the second half as Fremont continued to outshoot the Jaguars in a dominant performance. Fremont was on pace in the first half to break the Utah High School Activities Association’s all-time record for made 3-pointers in a game — 20 set by both Pleasant Grove and Woods Cross in the 2017 season — but cooled down in the second half as the team was able to get easy looks at the rim. But despite the blowout loss, West Jordan was also hot from behind the 3-point line in the first half and hit six 3-pointers, including four threes from Grady Gilbert, who went 4-of-4 in the opening half. At one point, the two teams combined to make seven straight 3-pointers to close out the first half. Gilbert, who led the team with only 12 first-half points, failed to have an impact in the second half as the Jaguars managed only four more 3-pointers in the loss. Josh Salvage added 11 points on 2-of-4 shooting from deep to round out the Jaguars’ leading scorers. The Silverwolves had four players score in double figures, including a game-high 17 points from Stratford and Baylor Harrop. Stratford shot 5-of-7 from deep and added four assists, while Harrop added nine rebounds and seven assists in the win. Calder finished with 15 points, and Tige Voorhees added 11 points and four rebounds. Future Division I athlete Dallin Hall only contributed 2 points for the Silverwolves, but had eight assists and six rebounds. The Jaguars were intent on limiting Hall with double- and triple-team defense, which worked to Fremont’s advantage as it freed up shooters behind the arc. Hall drew defenders as he drove to the basket, in which he had ample opportunities to kick out a pass to an open teammate for one of many threes. Fremont now advances to the semifinal round where it will play the winner of the Layton-Pleasant Grove game on Friday at 8:40 p.m. MST at the Huntsman Center. — Josh Furlong, KSL.com

Wednesday, 01:54pm

Quarterfinal: No. 1 Davis crawls to finish line, beats Westlake 62-49

SALT LAKE CITY — No. 1-seeded Davis crawled to the finish line after mounting a big first-half lead to beat No. 9 Westlake 62-49 in the 6A quarterfinal. Up by 21 points in the third quarter, Davis production slowed, it turned the ball over, and Westlake came within 6 points of tying the game with one minute left to play, but it wasn’t enough. Davis made a concerted effort to limit 3-point shots from the Thunder, and for three quarters it worked. In the fourth, however, the 6-foot-9 Westlake center Hunter Phillips had a field day in the paint, scoring 13 points and bruising his way to a double-double. He finished with a game-high 19 points and 11 boards. "We’re just happy to move on," Davis head coach Chad Sims said. "We just felt fortunate to win. There’s some things we need to work on, we turned the ball over too much, and that’s something we haven’t done all year." Westlake played a physical brand of basketball in the second half and forced 18 Davis turnovers and limited the Darts’ opportunities to score. The Thunder held Davis to just seven shot attempts in the fourth quarter and outscored them 24-11 before Davis put the game away in the final minute. "Westlake is good and they’re aggressive, and it’s probably one of the most physical teams we’ve played all year," Sims said. "I thought, defensively, we had them on their heels a little bit. When they were able to get to the rim on us, it kind of took us out of our mojo." Davis can lean on so many different players to score for them, and Wednesday’s game was no different. Three Darts finished in double figures, including senior Trevan Leonhardt, who notched 16 points while collecting six assists. Both teams played high-energy defense early in the game, making it hard to do anything productive. It didn’t take long, though, for the high octane offense of Davis to roar, finally getting the open shots they were working for. Jake Sampson dropped three 3-pointers and the rout was on. Davis finished the first quarter up 19-5. Westlake, meanwhile, shot a dismal 22% clip in the first quarter, and, although it improved in the second quarter, the Thunder appeared to be no match against the team that had lost just one game all season. Westlake called a timeout with five minutes left before halftime to slow the bleeding, down 16, but it was no help; the Darts continued to spread the wealth around, and by the end of the half, Davis found themselves rolling up 36-17. Davis moves on to the semifinal game where it will face a familiar state tournament foe in No. 12 Lone Peak. The game is scheduled for Friday at 7 p.m. MST. — Ty Bianucci, KSL.com

Wednesday, 11:56am

Quarterfinal: Lone Peak's Jensen hits clutch shots to hold off surging Skyridge in upset win

SALT LAKE CITY — Lone Peak’s Jared Jensen shot what many would consider to be an ill-conceived 3-pointer with a minute left in the game. But as the attempt neared the hoop, it was clear the shot was going in and it was going to be a vital component to claiming a 74-73 upset win over the No. 4-seeded Skyridge Falcons. As Jensen ran back on defense, he turned to a massive Skyridge student section and shushed the rabid crowd. “If I would have missed that, my coach would have been pissed,” Jensen said. “But I put a lot of shots up, and I just had faith it was going to go in. … They're really loud and so it's nice to shut them up.” But Jensen wasn’t done there. After giving up a 13-point lead in the fourth quarter, Jensen stepped to the free throw line as his team led by 2 points with just over 20 seconds left in the game. Jensen calmly hit both shots to make it a two possession game. “I've shot a million free throws, just like practice,” Jensen said. “I just had to step up and make them.” Skyridge’s hope of a comeback looked grim, as Branden Housley missed two 3-point attempts, but the Falcons got a lucky break when a rebound attempt went out of bounds on Lone Peak. Skyridge’s Trevon Snoddy, who finished with a game-high 31 points, raised up and hit a 3-pointer to make it a 1-point game with about 7.3 seconds left. Lone Peak failed to inbound the baseline pass as time expired and the Knights briefly celebrated a win before the refs consulted and awarded the Falcons 0.5 seconds left on the clock due to Lone Peak not collecting the ball fast enough after a made shot. “Our guy didn’t go immediately to the ball,” Lone Peak head coach Rob Ross said. “(The ref) doesn't start till we touch it, right — the five second count — and so they just said he took too long to get to the ball. So they said there was going to be just a half a second.” But the glimmer of hope was for not as Lone Peak tipped the inbound Skyridge pass away to secure the upset victory. Skyridge used a 30-point fourth quarter performance to put themselves in a position to challenge Lone Peak after the Knights controlled a double-digit lead throughout the duration of the game. The Knights jumped out quickly with high-intensity effort and aggressive ball movement to find open looks. The Knights built up a 23-11 lead and maintained the effort until the fourth quarter when Skyridge switched to a full-court press to frustrate Lone Peak’s effort. Skyridge forced several turnovers and eventually cut Lone Peak’s lead down to 2 points. Lone Peak was led by Cameron Brimhall’s 26 points and four rebounds, and was a key cog to the Knights dominating early. Jensen finished with 21 points, including 4-of-7 from behind the arc, four assists and three rebounds, and Corbin Zentner had 12 points and three assists in the win. Lone Peak advances to the semifinal round of the 6A boys state tournament and will face the winner of Davis-Westlake on Friday at 7 p.m. MST at the Huntsman Center. — Josh Furlong, KSL.com

6A boys championship: Fremont edges Davis to clinch title

By KSL.com Sports | Updated - Feb. 29, 2020 at 8:20 p.m. | Posted - Feb. 26, 2020 at 12:04 p.m.

Final: Fremont trades barbs with Davis, comes away with 6A title

Semifinal: Hall's 38 power Silverwolves past Lancers, into title game

Semifinal: Top-seeded Davis overturns 4th-quarter deficit to top Lone Peak

Quarterfinal: Potter returns from injury, guides Layton past Pleasant Grove 73-59

Quarterfinal: Fremont's hot hand scorches West Jordan

Quarterfinal: No. 1 Davis crawls to finish line, beats Westlake 62-49

Quarterfinal: Lone Peak's Jensen hits clutch shots to hold off surging Skyridge in upset win

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6A boys championship: Fremont edges Davis to clinch title

By KSL.com Sports | Updated - Feb. 29, 2020 at 8:20 p.m. | Posted - Feb. 26, 2020 at 12:04 p.m.

Final: Fremont trades barbs with Davis, comes away with 6A title

Semifinal: Hall's 38 power Silverwolves past Lancers, into title game

Semifinal: Top-seeded Davis overturns 4th-quarter deficit to top Lone Peak

Quarterfinal: Potter returns from injury, guides Layton past Pleasant Grove 73-59

Quarterfinal: Fremont's hot hand scorches West Jordan

Quarterfinal: No. 1 Davis crawls to finish line, beats Westlake 62-49

Quarterfinal: Lone Peak's Jensen hits clutch shots to hold off surging Skyridge in upset win

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