4A boys championship: Dixie beats Sky View to claim 4A title

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OGDEN — The 4A boys state tournament wrapped up Saturday at the Dee Events Center in Ogden. Here’s at look at how Dixie won it all.

Saturday, 08:16pm

Final: Dixie frustrates Falslev, beats Sky View 62-59 to take 4A state title

OGDEN — It was a heavyweight battle between the first and second seeds for the 4A state championship, and Dixie came out on top to beat Sky View 62-59 Saturday afternoon. Dixie knew it couldn’t completely shut down Utah-signee Mason Falslev, but the Flyers could frustrate him with a zone defense. Falslev struggled with foul trouble throughout the second half, slow to adapt to having the driving lanes taken from him. He scored 16 points in the first half and just 6 in the second, seeing limited action after hitting the bench with four fouls late in the third quarter. When Falslev fouled out with two minutes left in the game, he blew a kiss and made a heart with his hands directed toward the parents of the Dixie players, who had taunted him the whole game. "You can’t stop him," Dixie head coach Tyler Roberts said. "We knew he was going to get points. Our biggest thing was we couldn’t let other guys be able to get points. We had to contain them." Dixie’s plan to limit Falslev on offense and force other players to step up worked to perfection. He finished the afternoon with 22 points, while no other Bobcat broke double figures. Their next best player, Sam Phipps, contributed just 6 points playing through a knee injury that hindered him throughout the season. It was the game the Flyers had been plotting since Sky View knocked them out of last year’s tournament. "They’re so good that we had to have a game plan and stick to it," Dixie guard Anderson Rich said. "We’ve been keeping our eye on them and we’ve been talking about it. We knew this is where we’d be. The whole stadium is basically filled with their fans, and so it was good to come up here and beat them." Dixie saw an opportunity with Sky View on its heels when Falslev fouled out and ran with it, maintaining momentum the rest of the way. Rich hit two free throws in the final 30 seconds that ultimately was the difference in the game. "It’s really loud in here so you have to gather your thoughts," Rich said, "but we’ve been practicing shooting free throws all year. You just know you’ve done it before and you can do it again, so just go up there with confidence." The Flyers found a way to finish at the basket time after time, explaining a tremendous 52% shooting percentage for the game. A fast-paced game with few offensive sets, Dixie took just four 3-pointers in the whole contest. The player of the game was Noah Lemke, who scored 17 points on 6-of-12 from the field to go along with five boards. He also sunk 5-of-6 from the charity stripe in a game in which both teams missed 10-plus free throws. "Noah’s been unbelievable all year," Roberts said. "This is a kid that started playing basketball in the ninth grade. We finally got him dialed in this year, and he wanted it. He was ready for the challenge." After the game, as Dixie’s fans rushed to join the mid-court scrum, Rich wasn’t basking in the moment, taking the opportunity to appreciate his clutch free throws or the feeling of knocking off the No. 1 seed. "Honestly, the only thought going through my head is ‘Please don’t let us drop this trophy, we just barely got it.’" — Ty Biannuci, KSL.com

Friday, 11:34pm

Semifinal: Bennett, Dixie build up lead to fend off Juan Diego

OGDEN — Ethan Bennett had 18 points and seven rebounds to help Dixie build up a big lead early and hold off Juan Diego 52-50 in a 4A state semifinal Friday night at the Dee Events Center. Noah Lemke added 15 points, five rebounds and three assists for the Flyers, who limited the Soaring Eagle to 4 third-quarter points en route to a 37-28 lead. Talon Valdes had 20 points, including three 3-pointers and four steals for Juan Diego, which outscored the Flyers 22-15 in the final frame. Tamatoa Rezzouq added 9 points for the Soaring Eagle.

Friday, 09:57pm

Semifinal: Sky View trio lifts Bobcats over Desert Hills for (another) title bid

OGDEN — Jackson Schumann poured in 17 points and seven rebounds to lift Sky View’s boys basketball team within a game of of the 4A state title with a 65-44 win over Desert Hills in the Dee Events Center. Utah signee Mason Falslev added 10 points, five rebounds, five assists and two steals for the Bobcats, who got 10 points and five assists from Caden Penrose in their attempt to join the 4A state champion football team atop 4A. Mason Chase had 14 points, five rebounds and four assists to lead Desert Hills, and Peyton Holmes added 13 points and three assists for the Thunder.

Thursday, 05:12pm

Quarterfinal: Juan Diego survives late push to beat Ridgeline

OGDEN – After mounting a big lead for the first three quarters, Juan Diego survived a comeback effort from Ridgeline to win 57-52 Thursday afternoon. Ridgeline had no answer for Matty Rodriguez in the first half as the junior guard slashed to the basket and finished with ease. He tallied 10 points in the half; however, the Riverhawks had few answers for Juan Diego in general. The Soaring Eagles pulled ahead out of the gate and led the entire game. Despite the deficit, the Riverhawks never lost their composure and continued to fight against a zone defense for the right shot. It felt like it was only a matter of time before the shots started to fall and Rideline would close the gap. At the start of the fourth quarter, the Riverhawks trailed by 12 points. They were able to cut the lead to four, thanks to the deep ball, but that was as close as Ridgeline would come. “(Kaden Cox) is a great shooter, a really talented kid,” Juan Diego head coach Drew Trost said. “That’s all we worked on all week was getting out on threes. I think they finished 7-for-27, so that’s solid.” Ten of those 27 attempts were fired out of the hands of Cox, who hit four of them, and finished the game with a team-high 12 points. He took just one shot inside the paint. Both teams lacked a serious post presence, but for Ridgeline, shooting the deep ball was the only thing that was working for them. The Soaring Eagles, on the other hand, were able to drive to the basket and had three different players finish in double figures – headed by Talon Valdes with 19 points. “I think a lot of (teams) are going to key in on Talon Valdez, so we have to have other people scoring and that was key,” Trost said. “It shows us that when we do things well – when we’re smart and take care of the ball and execute our plays – that we can be a pretty good team.” Juan Diego advances to the semifinals where they will go up against Dixie on Friday at 5:30 p.m. MST. “It felt weird not being here last year,” Trost said. “It feels good to be back and feels good to go to the semifinals.” — Ty Bianucci, KSL.com

Thursday, 02:33pm

Quarterfinal: Dixie too much for Green Canyon in balanced team effort

OGDEN — Dixie scored the first two buckets of the game and never looked back. The Flyers used a dominant second-half performance to pull away 61-45 from the Green Canyon Wolves to advance to the semifinals. The Flyers got it done in a full-team, balanced affair. Only two players scored in double figures in a 16-point win over an aggressive Wolves team that just couldn’t find the bottom of the net and shot 33.3% from the field. Green Canyon fought to the end, though, and challenged every bucket and pressed on defense for a majority of the second half. Green Canyon benefitted from the hot hand of Mckay Yorgason, who finished with a game-high 26 points on 11-of-20 shooting, including 4-of-4 from behind the 3-point line, but it wasn’t enough to combat a multifaceted Dixie team that could seemingly score at will. Dixie pulled away in the fourth quarter when Green Canyon pursued a full-court press that repeatedly got beat by the Flyers’ quick passing down court. The quick-thinking Flyers were able to build up a big lead on easy layups and points from the charity stripe when Green Canyon resorted to fouling in an effort to cut into the lead. Dixie’s Isaac Finlinson led the team with 13 points and four rebounds, and Ethan Bennett added 12 points and five assists in the quarterfinal victory. Green Canyon kept the game close in the first quarter and only trailed by 2 points, but the Wolves couldn’t sustain the effort. Dixie slowed down in the second quarter to avoid being sped up and went to work offensively to claim an 11-point lead at intermission. From there, it was all Dixie, who controlled the tempo and beat Green Canyon’s post defense for open lanes and points around the rim. Dixie will await the winner of Ridgeline-Juan Diego in a semifinal matchup set for Friday at 7:30 p.m. MST at the Dee Events Center in Ogden. — Josh Furlong, KSL.com

Thursday, 01:54pm

Quarterfinal: Hurricane smelled upset but Sky View pulls away late

OGDEN — Hurricane was upset-hungry and gunning for the knockout of the No. 1 seed Thursday morning, but Sky View’s bench stepped up and willed the team to the next round in a 60-55 win. The Tigers responded every time the momentum began to swing in favor of the Bobcats, which led for most of the game. With 1:47 left to play, the game was tied at 55 each and Sky View scored 5 straight points to survive to see another day. After recovering from a broken foot and playing in just six games this season, Jackson Schumann came off the bench for the Bobcats and gave them 11 points and 10 rebounds. Schumann stepped up in a game when stars Mason Falslev and Sam Phipps were not the players Sky View is accustomed to seeing. Phipps left the game for good early in the third quarter, while dealing with an injury, and Falslev couldn’t buy a basket in the second half. "We didn’t start it how we wanted to," Sky View head coach Kirk Hillyard said. "Mason wasn’t on his game today, so other guys had to step up." The Bobcats leaned on their bench to carry the load, which scored 31 points from the likes of Schumann, Evan Hall and Titan Saxton. Hall, a bully at 6-feet-5 and 315 lbs, energized his team with his hustle plays. He added 6 points and two boards in under 10 minutes off the bench. "He brings a ton of emotion," Hillyard said. "You can’t manufacture that, but Evan brings energy and emotion. He’s as much of a cheerleader as he is a big dude out there who can run the floor and finish. Those were big minutes for us." Although Falslev and Sky View got on the board early, he was slow to gain a hold in the game. Bryce Thomas, meanwhile, was excellent for Hurricane and had no trepidation of taking down the No. 1 seed. He tallied 8 first-half points along with three assists and had the Tigers leading for most of the half. "We know what it feels like to be the underdog playing the No. 1 seed. The kids are used to that, but it’s getting them to match that intensity every night," Hillyard said. "We’re going to have to learn how to grind games out. I thought we showed a lot of grit." As the game wore on, Falslev slowly found his groove in ways other than scoring. He started by snatching a couple of steals, then he dished a couple of dimes. And as the first half wore down, he was getting to the basket and forcing his hand. The teams entered intermission locked up at 31 a piece. Falslev’s day included just 9 points, including 4-of-8 from the charity stripe, but he was still productive for his team. The defending champs now go up against the Desert Hills Thunder on Friday with tipoff set for 5:50 p.m. MST. — Ty Bianucci, KSL.com

Thursday, 11:01am

Quarterfinal: Desert Hills uses strong 2nd half to blowout higher-seeded Cedar

OGDEN — Desert Hills used a stingy defense and two big runs in the second half to put space on the higher-seeded Cedar Reds in a 74-51 win to open the quarterfinal round of the 4A state tournament Thursday. Cedar trailed by 8 points at the halftime break but jumped to a quick 10-2 run out of the locker room to eventually tie up the game. But in what seemed like an instant, Deseret Hills reeled off a 13-3 run that included back-to-back 3-pointers by Reggie Newby to build up a double-digit lead. That lead grew in the fourth quarter as Desert Hills closed down driving lanes and contested every Cedar shot. The Reds only managed 7 points in the final quarter on 35% shooting, with half of their scoring coming at the free-throw line. Deseret Hills’ three-headed monster of Mason Chase, Keegan Munsun and Newby combined for 58 of the team’s 71 points in the game, with Chase controlling a game-high 23 points, five assists and four rebounds in the dominant upset win. Newby hit a game-high four 3-pointers to finish with 17 points, and Munsun finished with a double-double of 18 points and 12 rebounds. Cedar opened up the game scoring the first two buckets and looked to set the tone of the game with a strong post performance by Luke Armstrong, who finished with 10 points and four rebounds. But Desert Hills quickly adjusted and locked out the Reds, while also shooting well from the field to take an early 18-14 lead. Desert Hills, who also upset No. 5 Pine View in the second round of the tournament, advances to the semifinal round. The Thunder will play the winner of No. 1 Sky View and No. 8 Hurricane on Friday at 5:50 p.m. MST at the Dee Events Center in Ogden. — Josh Furlong, KSL.com

4A boys championship: Dixie beats Sky View to claim 4A title

By KSL.com Sports | Updated - Feb. 29, 2020 at 7:55 p.m. | Posted - Feb. 27, 2020 at 11:14 a.m.

Final: Dixie frustrates Falslev, beats Sky View 62-59 to take 4A state title

Semifinal: Bennett, Dixie build up lead to fend off Juan Diego

Semifinal: Sky View trio lifts Bobcats over Desert Hills for (another) title bid

Quarterfinal: Juan Diego survives late push to beat Ridgeline

Quarterfinal: Dixie too much for Green Canyon in balanced team effort

Quarterfinal: Hurricane smelled upset but Sky View pulls away late

Quarterfinal: Desert Hills uses strong 2nd half to blowout higher-seeded Cedar

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4A boys championship: Dixie beats Sky View to claim 4A title

By KSL.com Sports | Updated - Feb. 29, 2020 at 7:55 p.m. | Posted - Feb. 27, 2020 at 11:14 a.m.

Final: Dixie frustrates Falslev, beats Sky View 62-59 to take 4A state title

Semifinal: Bennett, Dixie build up lead to fend off Juan Diego

Semifinal: Sky View trio lifts Bobcats over Desert Hills for (another) title bid

Quarterfinal: Juan Diego survives late push to beat Ridgeline

Quarterfinal: Dixie too much for Green Canyon in balanced team effort

Quarterfinal: Hurricane smelled upset but Sky View pulls away late

Quarterfinal: Desert Hills uses strong 2nd half to blowout higher-seeded Cedar

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From club sport to sanctioned sport, Utah high school boys volleyball continues to grow the game

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Objective completed: Ridgeline runs it back in 4A girls basketball

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