CEDAR CITY – A stingy defense and a dynamic scorer make the Cedar Redmen a tough team to beat, especially at home.
Dixie found that out firsthand as the undersized, yet scrappy Flyers could not maintain within striking distance against the Redmen, falling 62-44 Wednesday night at CHS Gymnasium.
It was not the postmen from Cedar that caused the damage early. Region 9 leading scorer Kordan Nielson, in the span of two minutes, scored eight points (including two three-pointers), assisted on two other baskets and had a steal. His impact turned a one-point lead at the 2:46 mark in the first quarter to an 11-point lead with thirty seconds on the clock. A Jake Hawes jumper pulled the lead back to single-digits and at the end of one Dixie trailed 20-11.
The Redmen would not let up as they opened the second quarter on a 9-2 run fueled by field goals from Nielson, Ty Liston and Dustin Staggs and three free throws from Jaren Forsyth. Hawes stanched the bleeding temporarily with a 3-point play. But another free throw by Liston and three-point play from Kyle Wood gave Cedar a 33-16 lead at halftime.
Coming out from the break, Cedar went on another run, outscoring the Flyers 15-7. This time, most of the damage came from Weston Bettridge who scored eight. Nielson contributed five to the run. At the 3:11 mark of the third quarter, Dixie’s deficit was 26 points, 48-22. The Flyers would close the quarter on an 8-4 run behind six points from Tyler Bennett.
Dixie was able to trade baskets for most of the fourth, but entering the fourth behind 22, they had to make up some ground. They did outscore the Redmen 14-10 but the final tally was 62-44.
Neilson led all scorers with 21. Staggs also finished in double-figures with 13. Jake Hawes led the Flyers with 19 points and eight rebounds.
The loss drops Dixie to 9-6 overall, 2-4 in Region 9. Dixie will face Desert Hills in a rematch at the Thunderdome. The Flyers beat DH by 16 earlier this season. The Redmen move to 8-7 with the victory, 3-3 in the region. Cedar travels across town to take on Canyon View Friday night.
Stats: CHS 62, DHS 44
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Harrison Labrum (in blue) tries to get a shot past Dustin Staggs, Dixie at Cedar, Cedar City, Utah, jan. 22, 2014 | Photo by Dave Amodt, St. George News Cedar's Kordan Nielson. File photo from Dixie at Cedar, Cedar City, Utah, jan. 22, 2014 | Photo by Dave Amodt, St. George News Jake hawes (23), Dixie at Cedar, Cedar City, Utah, jan. 22, 2014 | Photo by Dave Amodt, St. George News Weston Bettridge (3) and RJ Wilgar, Dixie at Cedar, Cedar City, Utah, jan. 22, 2014 | Photo by Dave Amodt, St. George News Harrison Labrum looks to pass as Dustin Staggs guards him, Dixie at Cedar, Cedar City, Utah, jan. 22, 2014 | Photo by Dave Amodt, St. George News Jake Hawes (23) shoots over Kyle Wood, Dixie at Cedar, Cedar City, Utah, jan. 22, 2014 | Photo by Dave Amodt, St. George News Harrison Labrum, Dixie at Cedar, Cedar City, Utah, jan. 22, 2014 | Photo by Dave Amodt, St. George News Tyler Bennett, Dixie at Cedar, Cedar City, Utah, jan. 22, 2014 | Photo by Dave Amodt, St. George News CHS's Jaren Forsyth passes from the seat of his pants, Dixie at Cedar, Cedar City, Utah, jan. 22, 2014 | Photo by Dave Amodt, St. George News Dixie at Cedar, Cedar City, Utah, jan. 22, 2014 | Photo by Dave Amodt, St. George News
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