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Layton 62, Fremont 60
The Lancers knew they had a tough task ahead of them coming into their Friday evening road matchup against Fremont.
Not only was Fremont undefeated in Region 1 play coming into the game, but Layton had not beaten the Silverwolves in their home gym since the 2017-18 season. For a full four quarters, the Lancers received the dogfight they were expecting, but managed to come out on top for a 62-60 victory.
Layton used a 17-2 run in the first half to seize an early lead, which it ended up needing in the game’s final minutes. Layton received a balanced effort offensively, with four different players scoring in double figures. KJ Miller (13 points) was the leading scorer for the Lancers, while Fremont’s David Calvert led all scorers with 22 points.
The result certainly made the Region 1 race more interesting, as Fremont fell to 7-1 in region play, while Layton — which currently sits in second place — jumped to 6-3.
“Our guys did an amazing job staying together. We got great performances from everyone tonight. Anytime we can get four players in double figures we’re going to be hard to beat. Ultimately we want to be playing our best ball right now and I think we are,” Layton head coach Kelby Miller said.
Riverton 64, Herriman 63
At halftime, it looked like Riverton — which entered Friday evening undefeated in Region 3 and ranked third in the 6A RPI — was heading toward an upset defeat to Herriman.
The Silverwolves trailed by 19 points and couldn’t manage to get any of their shots to fall. Riverton, however, didn’t decide to hang it up after the first two quarters, as it came out of the halftime break looking like a new team.
The Silverwolves outscored the Mustangs 45-25 in the second half (including 30-15 in the third quarter), to secure a narrow 64-63 victory and remain undefeated in region play. Despite the second half surge, Herriman had four chances to win on the last possession of the game, but couldn’t get the shots to fall.
Senior Jaxon Kerekes led the way for Riverton, scoring 24 points on three made 3-pointers. Zach Edwards and Logan Dunfield also chipped in 14 points apiece for the Silverwolves, who improved to 15-4.
“I didn’t recognize my team in the first half. Herriman played great and you could tell they were really motivated to win. I just told our guys at halftime that this was the first time all year that it was obvious the other team really wanted it more than us. I told them whatever happens, to make sure that wasn’t the case by the end of the game, and somehow we found a way to win,” Riverton coach Skyler Wilson said.
Northridge 47, Bonneville 45
Things didn’t come easy for the Knights in the first half. After scoring only two points in the first quarter, they trailed Bonneville by 15 points heading into the halftime break.
But in the final two quarters, Northridge managed to flip the script thanks to a heightened level of intensity, especially on the defensive end. The Knights limited the Lakers to just 13 second half points, paving the way for their 47-45 comeback victory.
With under 30 seconds remaining, Northridge’s Logan Birt secured an offensive board, giving the Knights a second chance opportunity, which they capitalized on. Bentley Whitear went on to drill the game-winning 3-pointer with three seconds remaining, helping Northridge secure its seventh win of the season.
“We got off to a really slow start, but we were playing really hard and getting good looks, shots just weren’t falling for us early. So much respect for Bonneville, they are such a well-coached team and they are extremely physical. We just kept plugging away possession by possession,” Northridge coach Andrew Olson said.
“The kids just kept believing and fighting. So proud of this team, there is no quit in them. ... Bentley (Whitear) struggled much of the game, but kept playing hard and his teammates kept lifting him up and we trusted him with the last shot and he hit the one that counted.”
Woods Cross 55, Box Elder 49
Elsewhere in Region 5, Woods Cross saw its chances of a region title get a significant boost. After defeating Box Elder by only one point earlier in the season, the Wildcats managed to secure victory a bit more comfortably Friday evening, defeating the Bees 55-49 to improve to 6-0 in Region 5.
Woods Cross now owns a two-game lead over Box Elder and is in complete control of its quest for a region title. The Wildcats came out the gates with intent, jumping out to a 19-11 lead after the first period of play.
Woods Cross got strong performances from all players in its rotation, as five players scored 10 or more points. Alex Brey led the way for the Wildcats, scoring a game-high 14 points.
With four games remaining in its regular season, Woods Cross now appears to be on track to be crowned Region 5 champions — something it didn’t manage to accomplish last season, despite finishing as the 5A runner-up.