4A boys state basketball: Region 10’s Thunder, Mustangs, Warriors all win in 1st round

Written by E. George Goold
February 22, 2023

ST. GEORGE — Three Region 10 boys basketball teams won in the first round of the 4A state tournament Tuesday night.

In St. George, defending state champion Snow Canyon was tested at home but finished strong. Crimson Cliffs rolled to a big win at home and Desert Hills hung on to defeat Cedar in the Thunderdome.

Meanwhile, in Northern Utah, Ridgeline cruised to victory over Hurricane while 4A newcomer Layton Christian Academy edged Pine View by four points.

All five winning teams advance to Thursday’s quarterfinals on the campus of Utah State University in Logan.

Following are recaps of the 4A boys state basketball games from Tuesday night:

Desert Hills 58, Cedar 54

Desert Hills’ Chomp Jones drives against Cedar in a 4A boys state basketball playoff game, St. George, Utah, Feb. 21, 2023 | Photo by E. George Goold, St. George News

A wild game in the Thunderdome saw Cedar roar out to a big lead, followed by a monster run by the Thunder, after which Desert Hills held on to seal the win from the free throw line down the stretch.

“It was the finish we wanted, the win, but it got a little bit dicey there for a little while,” Desert Hills coach Chris Allred told St. George News after the win. “Proud of the boys for the way they played, the energy they played with. Credit to Cedar, they made a run at the end and they’ve got players with a lot of pride. Both teams really wanted to advance.”

The visitors came ready to play and took a 16-13 lead after the first quarter.

But then Desert Hills responded defensively, holding the Reds to just four points in the second frame. Meanwhile, Eli Allred sank a 3-pointer and Lincoln Holmes netted five points in the second as Desert Hills took a 28-20 lead at halftime.

Cedar kept having a hard time making shots and scored just nine points in the third frame. Allred sank two more 3’s and Chomp Jones had three buckets in the third, propelling Desert Hills to a 47-29 lead heading into the fourth.

The Reds launched a furious rally in that session, outscoring the Thunder 25-11. But the hole was too deep and Desert Hills salted the win away from the foul line.

Landon Esplin was a perfect 4-for-4 on foul shots in the fourth while Desert Hills was good for 11-of-14 free throws in the game.

Cedar was led by a trio of double-digit scorers in the setback: Boston Garrett (15 points), Landon Kreitzer (13 points) and Nate Rogers (10 points).

Allred poured in a game-high 20 for Desert Hills including six 3-pointers. Lincoln Holmes was next for the winners with 19 points.

“I knew we were going to come out and give every ounce of effort we had,” Allred said. “Tonight they played their guts out. It wasn’t always clean but but we continued to find ways to get it done and in the end came out with a W.”

No. 7 Desert Hills advances to face No. 2 seeded Dixie in the quarterfinal round of the state tournament, Thursday at 12:50 p.m. at USU in Logan.

Crimson Cliffs 57, Mountain Crest 37

Crimson Cliffs’ Houston Johnsen scores against Mountain Crest in a 4A boys state basketball playoff game, Washington, Utah, Feb. 21, 2023 | Photo by E. George Goold, St. George News

In Washington, Crimson Cliffs broke open a tie game after the first quarter and took a 27-20 lead at halftime. The Mustangs would not look back.

Houston Johnsen led the winning effort with 14 points for Crimson. Scoop Johnson hit a 3-pointer as part of his 13 total points and Jordan Eaton canned two treys and finished with 12 points for the winners.

Sean Felts was Crimson’s fourth player in double-digits with his 10 points.

Crimson outscored Region 11’s Mustangs by a count of 30-17 in the second half in the runaway win.

Oliver Nethercott was the only Mountain Crest player to tally double-digits, scoring 11 in the setback.

Crimson Cliffs advances to Thursday morning’s 9:30 a.m. quarterfinal playoff game versus Region 10 rival Snow Canyon. The teams split a pair of games in regional play earlier this year.

Snow Canyon 51, Green Canyon 42

In the Jungle, the No. 4 Warriors held off a late rally by No. 13 Green Canyon to defeat the Wolves.

Owen Mackay drives for Snow Canyon against Green Canyon in a 4A boys state basketball playoff game, St. George, Utah, Feb. 21, 2023 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News

Owen Mackay and Cy Meacham scored 17 points apiece to lead the way for the Warriors. The duo accounted for 21 of Snow Canyon’s 23 first-half points and the Warriors took a 23-12 lead at intermission.

Snow Canyon managed to stay eight to 10 points ahead for much of the second half, although the Wolves did rally to cut the deficit to four points, 45-41 with 2:42 remaining in the fourth.

The Warriors converted 7-of-10 free throws during the fourth quarter, including four in a row at the end, to keep the game out of reach.

The Wolves, who finished their season with a 5-16 overall record, were led in scoring by Jared Anderson, who made 13 points, and Isaac Filimoehala, who scored 10.

With the first-round win, Snow Canyon advances to play in the 4A quarterfinals Thursday morning against No. 5 seed Crimson Cliffs, which defeated Mountain Crest on Tuesday.

Thursday’s tipoff is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. at Utah State University in Logan.

–written by Jeff Richards

In the other two first-round games played Tuesday night, Ridgeline defeated Hurricane 66-44 and Logan beat Bear River 63-42.

To see the state tournament brackets, go to the Utah High School Activities Association website.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2023, all rights reserved.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Eric George Goold came to St. George News from southwestern Colorado, where he was a radio news reporter. He has been a journalist for over 20 years in five different states. He graduated with a master's degree in English from Kansas State University and writes nonfiction as well. Goold has been published in Sunstone Magazine and has done multiple public readings about local history. When he has free time, he enjoys chess, movies and dogs.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @STGnews

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