High school boys basketball: Tuesday’s 5A first round recap

Wasatch 61, Box Elder 44

In a 5A first round matchup, No. 13 Wasatch dominated No. 20 Box Elder, 61-44 to advance to Tuesday’s second round game. Sam Lind led the charge for the Wasatch Wasps (12-12), netting 20 points, including three 3-pointers. He was well assisted by Ethan Moore’s 12 points and Miles Brown’s 10 points. For the Box Elder Bees (9-15), Trevor Wilkinson and Max Isaacson both added 13 points, with Wilkinson sinking three from beyond the arc.

West Jordan 59, Hunter 53

No. 12 seed West Jordan pulled ahead of No. 21 seed Hunter in the fourth quarter to secure the 5A first round win, 59-53. Alex Szymanski and Colton Blackham both led West Jordan (14-10) with 14 points each, while Quinton Robinson added 10 points. In response, Dominick Phannolath spearheaded Hunter’s (10-14) effort with an impressive 24 points, including three 3-pointers, and Zaquel Cossa chipped in with 13 points, netting two of those from beyond the arc. Hunter led 32-25 at the half, but West Jordan rallied with a 34-21 edge in the second half.

Roy 67, East 60

No. 17-ranked Roy topped No.16 East in a tightly contested 5A first round game, 67-60. Bronson Belnap motored the Roy Royals (12-12) with 19 points, four rebounds and four assists, while teammates Colby Frokjer and Dahlen Pontius recorded 14 and 13 points respectively. On the East Leopards’ (9-15) end, Sawyer Sutton put up a commendable fight, dropping 29 points with three 3-pointers, along with Cooper Dodd’s contribution of 13 points.

Juan Diego 52, Clearfield 51

The No. 9 seed Juan Diego avoided a big upset against No. 24 seed Clearfield, narrowly prevailing 52-51. Juan Diego (15-9) was driven by Luke Meyer’s 12 points, with added support by Caden Fenger and Javier Aguirre, who each scored 10 points. The Clearfield Falcons (6-18) put up a persistent fight, led by Davis Woll who scored 14 points, Chase Mcneill with his 12 points and Peyton Kotter whose contribution featured 11 points, including three 3-pointers.

Salem Hills 63, Northridge 58

No. 18 Salem Hills nudged past No. 15 Northridge, 63-58, in the competitive 5A first round game on Monday. Chase DeGraffenried was instrumental in the victory for the Salem Hills Skyhawks (10-14), scoring 28 points, including two 3-pointers. Teammates Kason Averett and Kolby Dyches also made noteworthy contributions, tallying 13 and 11 points respectively. Bentley Whitear led the Northridge Knights (10-14) with an impressive 20 points, including four 3-pointers, followed by Peyton Perkins who recorded 16 points.

Skyline 57, Woods Cross 56

No. 10 Skyline held off an upset bid from No. 23 Woods Cross in overtime to survive with the 57-56 5A first round win. Landon Shaw led the Skyline Eagles (12-12) with 19 points, assisted by Beau Bierman’s 11 points and Karson Kaufusi’s nine points. For the Woods Cross Wildcats (7-17), Hunter Jackson stood out, recording 23 points, while Bryson Watson added eight points. Despite Woods Cross’ strong second-half comeback, Skyline managed to regroup and prevail in overtime.

Viewmont 66, Maple Mountain 63

No. 19 Viewmont managed to ward off No. 14 Maple Mountain to claim the 66-63 win in the 5A first round. Cache Tuia led Viewmont Vikings (10-14) with 14 points, including four 3-pointers, followed by Max Larsen, Drez Jensen and Max Draper all tallying nine points each. For the Maple Mountain Golden Eagles (9-15), Brogan Miles played a stellar game, dropping 16 points, and Easton Merrell contributed 14 points, including three 3-pointers.

Cedar Valley 53, Bonneville 52

No. 11 Cedar Valley eked past No. 22 Bonneville in a tight 5A first round game, 53-52. The Cedar Valley Aviators (13-11) were driven by Heath Christensen’s 20 points, including two 3-pointers, and Owen Bawden’s chipped in with 15 points and five blocks. Bonneville (8-16) was led by Zac Combe scoring 16 points and Ben Tesch chipping in 13 points, including three 3-pointers.

This report was compiled with the assistance of ChatGPT.