RICHFIELD – There were eight games involving Region 9 teams Saturday in tournaments throughout the region, with every boys team in the league playing a game (and Canyon View playing twice).

All-totaled, Region 9 teams went 5-3 in the eight games, a good percentage considering some of the topnotch competition the local teams faced. Here’s a glance at the action:

Desert Hills 58, Stansbury 53 (in Richfield)

The Thunder played well in the first half, running out to a 12-point lead against a Stallions team that took Dixie to overtime on Friday.

But Stansbury’s Drake Schlappi hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to end the first half and pull the Stallions within 31-22 and it was game on after that.

Behind Schlappi’s 18 points, plus 16 more from Josh Jenkins, Stansbury crept back into the game and pulled to within a couple of points several times. But the Thunder would not be denied.

A balanced scoring effort, with eight players scoring at least four points each, helped Desert Hills fend off the Region 11 Stallions. Schlappi, an outside shooter who averages 17 per game, kept Stansbury in it. He and Jenkins each had a pair of 3-pointers, but Alex Sampson scored three long balls himself for Desert Hills as part of his 11-point night.

Tucker Peterson added 10 points, with Ryan Marz chipping in eight and Trey Allred and Tyler Webber scoring seven each for DH, which went 2-0 in the opening weekend here at the Sevier Valley Center in Richfield. Peterson also had seven rebounds and five assists.

The Thunder play next on Friday at 6 p.m. vs. Wasatch in the Ken Robinson Classic at Dixie High School.

Dixie 72, Emery 50 (in Richfield)

The sharp shooting of Tanner Cuff and Brody Henderson helped Dixie break the game open early.

Ahead 10-9 midway through the first quarter, Henderson got free for back-to-back baskets, then Cuff hit a runner in the lane that made it 16-9. It was 17-11 at the end of the first, but Dixie turned on the jets in the second. Cuff started it with a 3-pointer and Carson Bottema followed with a corner trey to make it 23-11. The two combined for 10 more points in the quarter and Dixie seized a formidable 33-20 halftime advantage.

Cuff hit two quick buckets late in the third quarter to make it a 50-30 game and Dixie pushed the lead all the way out to 72-44 before the Spartans hit two late 3-pointers to make things a little closer.

Cuff, a junior, led all scorers with 24 points on 6 of 12 shooting from the floor (and 2 for 4 from beyond the arc). Bottema finished with 17 points and Henderson had 10. Karter Abbott came of the bench to score five points and lead his team with nine rebounds. Derek Cox had four points and eight boards.

Dixie’s only deficit in the game was at 5-3 just 70 seconds into the game. Peyton Wilgar tied it up with two free throws seconds later and Henderson hit a 3-pointer to give the Flyers a lead they would never surrender.

Dixie, which went 23-4 last season, started its season with two wins in Richfield. The Flyers will now host the Ken Robinson Classic, facing off with Salem Hills Friday at 7:30 p.m. at DHS.

Pine View 65, Uintah 57 (in Richfield)

The Panthers used a smart team effort to get past the Utes Saturday morning. Eight different Panthers scored, led by Tayler Tobler’s 20 points, as PV hit just enough free throws late in the game to hold on for the win.

Uintah had two good post players, 6-foot-10 Hunter Severe and 6-foot-6 Brett Christensen. The two combined for 42 points against the smaller Panthers. But the Utes had virtually no outside game and they couldn’t hold onto the ball.

Pine View forced Uintah into 23 turnovers and allowed just two 3-pointers in building a 15-point lead early in the fourth quarter. Normally, late game intentional fouling is an exercise in futility. But the strategy worked for a little while for Uintah.

In the final couple of minutes of the game, the Panthers missed three straight front ends on one-and-one free throws. The lost opportunities helped Uintah to close within four points on two occasions. But Ryan Hopper and Gavin Bateman made six straight charity shots in the last minute of the game to save Pine View.

Tobler made one 3-pointer in each of the game’s four quarters, finishing 4 for 11 from beyond the arc. Dallin Brown let his inside game do the talking. He had 13 points without attempting a 3-ball. Jack O’donnell was saddled with foul trouble most of the game and scored just six points, though he did dish out six assists. Connor Brooksby led the Panthers with six rebounds.

The Utes made a high percentage of their shots (21 for 33), but took 24 fewer shots than Pine View due to the turnover and rebounding discrepancies. PV had just eight turnovers and won the rebounding battle by five, 23-18.

The Panthers, 3-0, participate in the North vs. South Tournament next Thursday, Friday and Saturday up at Sky View in Cache Valley. Pine View’s first game is Thursday at 5:10 p.m. against Mountain Crest.

Cedar 63, Juab 52 (in Richfield)

The Redmen got their first win (with two losses) by dominating the first half and holding on in the second.

Ethan Boettcher continues to be a strong scorer for Cedar. He dropped in 16 points, including four 3-pointers, and was helped by Dallin Peterson (14 points) and Dallin Grant (12).

The Redmen were hot early and outscored the Wasps 31-18 in the first half. Treyton Tebbs hit a couple of treys for Cedar, but Juab climbed back into the game with a strong fourth quarter.

But Cedar’s saving grace was its free throw shooting. The Redmen made 20 of 22 from the line – 91 percent – to quash any thoughts of Juab coming back.

Cedar, 1-2, plays in the Mesquite Bulldog Invitational next weekend. The Redmen start it off with a 4:30 meeting with Moapa Valley (Nev.) Friday afternoon.

Richfield 51, Hurricane 50 (in Richfield)

Jackson Last’s phenomenal stat line wasn’t quite enough as the Tigers lost a heartbreaker to the hometown favorites.

Last scored 25 points, plus had eight rebounds, six steals and five assists.

The game was close throughout, with Hurricane’s biggest lead being four points at 50-46 after an Adam Heyrend free throw with under a minute to play.

Richfield’s Keldon Anderson made a shot in the lane to cut it to 50-48, then the Tigers turned the ball over with just seconds to play. The Wildcats set a play up for star shooter Josh Thalman and the senior guard buried a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give Richfield the win. It was Thalman’s only trey of the game.

Hurricane, 0-2, has next weekend off before competing in the Coach Walk Classic at Dixie State Dec. 14-16.

Canyon View 63, Green Valley 56 (F/OT) (in Las Vegas)
Lutheran (Colo.) 76, Canyon View 70 (in Las Vegas)

The Falcons dominated most of the game with Green Valley, but poor free throw shooting in the fourth quarter enabled the Gators to come from 12 down to tie the game in regulation. Order was restored in the overtime as Canyon View outscored Green Valley 10-3 in the extra frame.

Brantzen Blackner, who recently became the all-time leading scorer at Canyon View, had 24 points to lead the way in the win. Joey Lambeth chipped in 11 points, while Toby Potter and Trevor Farrow had seven each.

In the second game, the Falcons shot much better from the line (22 of 29), but couldn’t quite catch Lutheran High School. Blackner had another 24-point game and Farrow scored 11.

CV, 1-3, heads to Sky View for the North vs. South Tournament Wednesday through Friday. The Falcons start it off with a game vs. the home team Sky View Bobcats Wednesday at 7 p.m.

Lehi 68, Snow Canyon 57 (in Draper)

The Warriors led by six at the half, but were outscored 42-25 after intermission.

Braden Baker had 15 points and Bryson Childs was an animal with 12 points and 12 rebounds for Snow Canyon, which lost all three games at the Corner Canyon Tournament of Champions.

Snow Canyon, 1-3, will head up to Sky View Thursday through Saturday for the North vs. South Tournament. Thursday’s game will pit the Warriors against the home team Sky View Bobcats at 7 p.m.

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @oldschoolag

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2017, all rights reserved.