4A boys state basketball tournament: Snow Canyon, Dixie both win, set up an all-Region 10 final

Bronson Barben scores in Dixie's win over Ridgeline in the 4A state boys basketball tournament, St. George, Utah, Feb. 22, 2022 | Photo by E. George Goold, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — It will be an all-Region 10 affair when Snow Canyon and Dixie meet Wednesday night to decide who wins the 4A boys state basketball championship.

The Warriors beat Sky View and the Flyers beat Ridgeline Tuesday night at Burns Arena on the campus of Dixie State University, knocking the Region 11 foes out of the tournament and setting up a Region 10 rematch for the state championship.

“Like I’ve said even in the past, I think it’s the best region in the state of any classification,” Dixie coach Tyler Roberts told St. George News. “I would put our region up against anybody. Excellent coaches — players all know each other. What a great opportunity.”

Following are recaps of Tuesday’s semifinal games:

Snow Canyon 45, Sky View 43

Tied 43-43 with 10.5 seconds left, Snow Canyon junior Will Warner knew just what he was looking for.

Snow Canyon beats Sky View in a 4A boys basketball state tournament game, St. George, Utah, Feb. 22, 2022 | Photo by E. George Goold, St. George News

In a matchup at the Riverton Tournament on Dec. 18, Snow Canyon was in a tie game with Ridgeline guarding an inbounds pass at the end of the game.

Warner stole the pass and scored, sending the Warriors to the win. So when Sky View lined up in almost the exact same situation, Warner knew what to do.

“So I was like, I’m just going to go up and get it,” Warner said. “I didn’t want the game to end there. Needed to step it up a notch and go get some energy.”

Warner snared the Bobcats’ inbound pass and passed to Bowen Hammer. His shot fell short but Lyman Simmons was in position for the put-back. He scored with just over one second left and Sky View ran out of time before launching a desperation heave.

“I love our guys’ refusal to lose,” Snow Canyon coach Doug Meacham said. “It’s just the mentality that we needed to go out and make a play. And that’s what we needed down the stretch. You got to have your players make plays.”

Both teams played tough defense from the start. Sky View came out hot and took a 15-7 lead after the first quarter.

A low-scoring and defensive struggle in the second quarter saw the teams combine for an 11-point frame as Sky View clung to a 19-14 lead at halftime. 

But Snow Canyon stormed out of intermission behind Hammer, who sank four 3-pointers in the quarter to lead the Warriors to a 34-32 lead after three quarters of play.

Hammer led Snow Canyon with 17 points in the contest. He also had three rebounds and two assists in the win. Simmons finished with 13 points and Owen Mackay threw in eight for the winners.

“They’ve been there before, that’s the biggest thing,” Meacham said. “In that kind of situation you have to have the belief that you can still make it happen.”

Now the Warriors turn their attention to Dixie and the all-Region 10 finale.

“It’s been 20 years since Snow Canyon last won it,” Meacham said. “I’m excited the guys have the opportunity to be there. The guys expected to be here so I’m glad they get that chance.”

Dixie 56, Ridgeline 47

The Flyers fell behind after the first quarter 18-12. Carson Cox scored four 3-pointers to lead the Riverhawks to the early lead.

Dixie beats Ridgeline in a 4A boys basketball state tournament game, St. George, Utah, Feb. 22, 2022 | Photo by E. George Goold, St. George News

Then Dixie’s signature defense took over, holding Ridgeline’s powerful offense to just five points in the second quarter as Dixie took a 26-23 at halftime.

“That’s who we are,” Flyers coach Tyler Roberts said. “In my opinion we’re the best defensive team in the state. We were in 2020 when we won it, and that’s who we are.”

Dixie kept up the defensive pressure in the third and limited the Ridgehawks to just six points in the frame. Bronson Barben’s 3-pointer at the buzzer put Dixie ahead for good 39-29 going into the fourth quarter.

Barben led Dixie with 18 points in the win. Junior Grant Carter handled the ball a lot in the game as point guard and responded with 16 points for the Flyers.

“I played point guard my whole life so it was fun to play again tonight,” Carter said. “Look forward to playing as a team and playing the best we can against Snow Canyon.”

Kyle Lemke was the next leading scorer for Dixie, finishing with 12 points for the winners.

Ridgeline got 18 points from Carson Cox, 11 from Peyton Knowles and 10 from Kaden Cox in the defeat.

“I was so proud of the way the guys competed. Honestly it just came down to execution,” Roberts said. “We talked about just focusing on this play, not the last play or the next play. And they did that. They bought in and executed our game plan perfectly.” 

The 4A boys championship game tips off at 6 p.m. at Burns Arena. The teams split their games in Region 10 play this season, with both teams winning on the road.

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