Corner Canyon Chargers Isaac Neibaur (2) handles the ball during the 6A high school boys basketball quarter finals against the American Fork Cavemen at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Monday, Feb. 26, 2024.
Marielle Scott, Deseret News
Corner Canyon 67, American Fork 58
Brody Kozlowski kicked his game into Klay Thompson mode in Monday morning’s 6A quarterfinals, and American Fork could do nothing to stop him.
The Corner Canyon senior — and USC commit — went off for 39 points at the University of Utah including two dagger 3-pointers in the fourth quarter as the Chargers pulled away from American Fork for the 67-58 victory.
“Before the game I have the mentality of trying to mimic a player, and that game was like a Klay Thompson, (Devin) Booker type,” Kozlowski said. “I just kept shooting everything and it kept falling.”
Kozlowski scored 39 points, shattering his previous career high of 29 points, on 12-of-16 shooting from the field, 6-of-9 shooting from 3-point range and 9 of 9 from the line. He made all six of his free throws in the final minute to ice the game, and even scored 14 of his team’s final 16 points.
“I was just trying to finish the game, get the W, contribute to my teammates, play for them,” said Kozlowski, whose previous career high of 29 came on two different occasions.
He made his first three 3-pointers, and four in the first half. But it was his final three that iced the win for the Chargers.
Corner Canyon led by as many as nine points early in the fourth quarter, but American Fork chipped away at the lead, including three straight 3s by Diego Mulford, Jared Shepherd and Tiger Cuff. When Shepherd hit a baseline jumper with 2:12 remaining, the Cavemen only trailed 56-53 in a rematch of last year’s 6A state championship won by the Chargers.
Kozlowski made sure the lead never dipped any further as he buried a fadeaway 3-pointer with 59 seconds left to push the lead back to six. From there, Corner Canyon’s final eight points all came at line.
“He’s a special player. He’s a humble kid and he comes to work and he does what’s asked for him,” said Lunt. “The thing about Brody is not only is he a great basketball player, but he has his head on straight and he’s just going to come and be who he is under any circumstances and that’s what makes him so good.”
Lunt credited American Fork for making some big shots in the fourth quarter to make it a one-possession game late. Shepherd finished with 28 points to lead the Cavemen, who led 27-26 at the half and shot 48% from the field.
Corner Canyon’s offensive efficiency was too good though as it shot 51%, including 63 in the second half. Brylon Valdes added 11 points, including a stretch he scored seven straight points on a circus reverse lay-up, a lay-up at the third quarter buzzer and then a three-point play to start the fourth quarter. His team’s lead swelled from 38-36 to 45-36 during that two-minute stretch.
“That one at the buzzer is crucial, cause at that same time they were making somewhat of a run and we got it back to six going into the fourth,” said Lunt.
Friday’s win was Corner Canyon’s 14th straight as it advances to Wednesday’s semifinals at 7 p.m. against the Layton-Farmington winner. It is the program’s fourth straight semifinal appearance.
“It’s just the culture of the program. The people before it laid it, and it’s just an expectation. We don’t take it for granted. We know what it takes. It’s not during the season, this happened last spring, summer and fall. That’s where the culture is built, that’s where the attitude comes from, that’s the where the expectation comes from with the time they put in,” said Lunt.
For Kozlowski, he’s soaking up every last minute of his high school career, especially after a head-on-head car accident five games before the season fractured his collar bone and prevented him from playing in the first 15 games.
In his 10 games back, he’s averaged 21.3 points and 8.9 rebounds, including tying his career high with 29 points against Copper Hills in his first game and then obliterating it in Monday’s quarterfinals.