ST. GEORGE — There were no upsets or surprises in any of the 4A boys basketball opening-round playoff games involving Region 9 schools Friday night, as the higher-seeded home teams won all four games.
At top-seeded Pine View, the Salem Hills Skyhawks gave the Panthers a scare by staying even with them for three quarters, but Pine View prevailed down the stretch for a 53-46 victory. Meanwhile, at Dixie, the No. 2 seeded Flyers posted a 66-50 win over Lehi.
Region 9’s third and fourth seeds didn’t fare so well on the road Friday night, however, as Hurricane fell at Payson 70-53 and Canyon View lost at Orem by a similar margin.
Pine View 53, Salem Hills 46
The Pine View Panthers battled to keep a slim lead over the Salem Hills for much of the first three quarters, but weren’t able to pull away from the Skyhawks until the last three minutes of the fourth.
The game was tied 34-34 heading into the final quarter, but Pine View managed to slowly build a 7-point lead over the first four minutes of the fourth. Ryan Hopper’s behind-the-back assist to teammate Jared Koller gave the Panthers a 44-37 lead with 3:45 left. However, one minute later, Eavin Hardy of Salem Hills drilled a 3-pointer – his fourth of the game – to bring the Skyhawks back within four points, 44-40.
With 1:55 left, Pine View’s Michael Moore answered with a 3-pointer of his own, and Salem Hills player was called for a technical foul on the play. Hopper sank both free throws, after which the Panthers got the ball back and were fouled again, with Jared Sudweeks swishing two free throws to push Pine View’s lead to 51-40 with 1:40 left.
Those seven straight points in the span of 15 seconds “probably sealed the deal,” said Pine View head coach Ryan Eves.
“They hit some big shots, hit a couple of deep threes,” Eves said of Salem Hills. “We knew they could shoot. We knew we had to do a better job (guarding) those guys. But overall, it’s nice to come away with the win.”
Each team finished with eight 3-pointers. In addition, Pine View made 10 2-point field goals to Salem Hills’ nine.
Pine View converted 9-of-15 free throws, while Salem Hills converted 4-of-7. The Skyhawks were whistled for 18 personal fouls, not counting the technical, while the Panthers committed just nine.
“It was physical all night, but I thought we battled and did some good things,” Eves said.
Moore and Sudweeks led Pine View’s balanced scoring with 11 points apiece, while Hopper added 10 and Taiven Shepherd contributed 9.
The Skyhawks were led by Hardy’s 14 points, with Derek Burton and Ty Bailey adding 9 each.
The win advances Pine View to Thursday’s quarterfinals at Cedar City, where the Panthers will face Bonneville, Region 11’s No. 2 seed, which edged Logan by one point on Friday night, 45-44.
The Pine View vs. Bonneville game will be at 2:30 p.m. on Feb. 28 at Southern Utah University’s America First Event Center.
Dixie 66, Lehi 50
The Flyers started off strong at home, making their first few shots to open up a 10-4 lead three minutes into the game and a 20-14 advantage at the end of the first.
Lehi then went on a 5-0 run at the beginning of the second quarter to close to within 20-19, but Dixie managed to pull away again and post a 35-27 lead at halftime.
Dixie outscored the Pioneers 16-7 during the third quarter and went on to win by 16 points, 66-50.
Hayden Cottle led the Flyers with 20 points, including five 3-pointers. Joining him in double figures were teammates Nic Roundy (12), Noah Lemke (11) and Jordan Mathews (10).
The Pioneers were led by Kevin Winsor’s 21 points but did not have any other players in double figures.
“I am so proud of the guys tonight,” Dixie head coach Tyler Roberts told St. George News after the game. “We executed our game plan perfectly. Guys were in the right spots at the right times and made the right plays. We moved the ball well and made them work on defense every possession.”
Roberts also praised his fellow coaches.
“I’m thankful for our coaching staff and the preparation that was put in against a really good Lehi team,” he said. “We just need to stay humble and focused on our next opponent.”
Dixie will play the Sky View Bobcats, Region 12’s No. 4 seed, in Thursday’s quarterfinals at Cedar City. The Bobcats were the only lower-seeded team to win in the 4A tournament’s first round, as they pulled off a 50-41 upset at Juan Diego on Friday night.
The Dixie vs. Sky View game is scheduled to start at 9:30 a.m. on Feb. 28 at Southern Utah University’s America First Event Center.
Payson 70, Hurricane 53
At Payson, the Lions broke open a close game with an 18-6 run in the second period that proved to be the Tigers’ undoing.
Hurricane got 20 points from Bryce Thomas and 11 from Dom Scott, but were unable to narrow their double-digit deficit in the second half.
Hurricane finished its season with 7-5 region record, 11-11 overall.
Orem 74, Canyon View 56
At Orem, the Tigers jumped out to a 21-9 lead in the first quarter and never looked back as they coasted to an 18-point win over the fourth-seeded Canyon View Falcons.
“Orem is good. They steamrolled us early and we struggled to respond,” Canyon View head coach Rob Potter said afterward. “It wasn’t what we’d hoped for, but credit to Coach Holt and the Tigers.”
The Falcons season ended with 6-6 region, 10-13 overall. Of Canyon View’s 13 defeats, Potter noted that only Friday night’s loss at Orem was by double digits.
“I really think our kids overachieved this year and did some good things,” he said. “I’m really proud of our seniors.”
Senior guard Mason Lyman led Canyon View with 18 points against Orem, while fellow senior Parker Holmes added 12 points.
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Lehi vs. Dixie, St. George, Utah, Feb. 22, 2019 | Photo by David Larson, St. George News Lehi vs. Dixie, St. George, Utah, Feb. 22, 2019 | Photo by David Larson, St. George News Lehi vs. Dixie, St. George, Utah, Feb. 22, 2019 | Photo by David Larson, St. George News Lehi vs. Dixie, St. George, Utah, Feb. 22, 2019 | Photo by David Larson, St. George News Lehi vs. Dixie, St. George, Utah, Feb. 22, 2019 | Photo by David Larson, St. George News Lehi vs. Dixie, St. George, Utah, Feb. 22, 2019 | Photo by David Larson, St. George News Lehi vs. Dixie, St. George, Utah, Feb. 22, 2019 | Photo by David Larson, St. George News Salem Hills vs. Pine View, St. George, Utah, Feb. 22, 2019 | Photo by David Larson, St. George News Salem Hills vs. Pine View, St. George, Utah, Feb. 22, 2019 | Photo by David Larson, St. George News Salem Hills vs. Pine View, St. George, Utah, Feb. 22, 2019 | Photo by David Larson, St. George News Salem Hills vs. Pine View, St. George, Utah, Feb. 22, 2019 | Photo by David Larson, St. George News Salem Hills vs. Pine View, St. George, Utah, Feb. 22, 2019 | Photo by David Larson, St. George News Salem Hills vs. Pine View, St. George, Utah, Feb. 22, 2019 | Photo by David Larson, St. George News Salem Hills vs. Pine View, St. George, Utah, Feb. 22, 2019 | Photo by David Larson, St. George News Salem Hills vs. Pine View, St. George, Utah, Feb. 22, 2019 | Photo by David Larson, St. George News Salem Hills vs. Pine View, St. George, Utah, Feb. 22, 2019 | Photo by David Larson, St. George News
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