Dixie boys fall to Sky View in 4A basketball quarterfinals

Written by Jeff Richards
February 28, 2019
Hayden Cottle of Dixie shoots a 3-pointer over Sky View's Mason Falslev in the 4A quarterfinals. Sky View won the game 58-48. Cedar City, Utah, Feb. 28, 2019 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News

CEDAR CITY — The Dixie Flyers made an early exit from the 4A boys state basketball tournament, falling to the Sky View Bobcats 58-48 in Thursday morning’s opening game of the quarterfinal round.

Early in the fourth quarter, Dixie scored two quick baskets to go ahead 45-43, the Flyers’ first lead since early in the first quarter.

However, Dixie went cold from that moment on, scoring just three points on a single field goal over the last 6:25 of the game.

Sky View, meanwhile, finished the game with a 15-3 run, including converting 10-of-12 free throws down the stretch.

“Sky View is a great team,” said Dixie head coach Tyler Roberts afterward. “Things weren’t going good early, obviously, but I’m proud of the guys for not giving up, and for coming in and kind of changing the momentum.”

Dixie had fallen behind 4-0 in the first few minutes of the game, but briefly took a 5-4 lead midway through the first quarter. Sky View answered by scoring the next seven points. The Bobcats continued to roll, eventually taking an 18-8 lead at the end of the first, capped off by a 3-pointer at the buzzer by Mason Falslev.

Dixie slowly chipped away at Sky View’s double digit lead and managed to get as close as four points, but Sky View still led 28-22 at the halftime break.

The Bobcats led by as many as 10 and as few as two points during the back-and-forth third quarter.

On the first possession of the fourth quarter, Dixie’s Wallace made a layup to tie the game at 43-43, after which Sky View missed its next couple shots and Dixie missed a 3-point attempt.

Dixie’s Nic Roundy then scored on a left-side drive, giving the Flyers a 45-43 advantage with 6:25 left in the game.

On its next possession, Sky View regained the lead with a 3-pointer from the corner by Cole Deboard with 6:00 left, and the Bobcats never trailed again.

“ I really think we were one shot away from kind of opening it up with some more momentum,” Roberts said.

However, Dixie came up empty on its next five possessions, turning the ball over three times and missing a couple more 3-pointers. Hayden Cottle finally broke the ice by making a 3-pointer with 1:25 left that brought Dixie back within four points, 52-48.

However, Sky View sealed the win by going 6-for-8 from the free throw line during the final minute or so of the contest.

Cottle led all scorers with 19 points, including five 3-pointers, while fellow senior Roundy added 12 points. Also for the Flyers, junior Jordan Mathews added 8 points before fouling out with 3:28 left.

“Obviously it’s hard for the seniors because they’re done this year, but I was proud of our guys for not giving up,” Roberts said.

The Bobcats were led by Sam Phipps’ 17 points, while Falslev added 15. Sky View, which entered the tournament as Region 12’s fourth seed, now advances to Friday night’s semifinal matchup against Payson.

Click on photo to enlarge it, then use your left-right arrow keys to cycle through the gallery.

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @STGnews

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2019, all rights reserved.

 

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jeff Richards, a native of Salt Lake City with family roots in Panguitch, lived in Moab for 20 years before joining St. George News in 2017. Jeff is a longtime journalist and secondary school teacher. He and his wife Penny are the parents of five daughters. They also have two young grandsons. Jeff and his family enjoy swimming, camping, sightseeing, reading, and taking pictures.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @stgnews@moabjeff@stgnewssports

Free News Delivery by Email

Would you like to have the day's news stories delivered right to your inbox every evening? Enter your email below to start!