Boys basketball recap: Dixie still undefeated while there is a six-way tie for second place

ST. GEORGE — The Dixie Flyers finished the week undefeated but with Pine View dropping both games against Snow Canyon and Cedar, there is now a six-way tie for second place. Cedar, Crimson Cliffs, Pine View, Snow Canyon, Hurricane and Desert Hills all have a 2-2 record after the first full week of region play.

Tuesday’s games

Snow Canyon 49, Pine View 48

The Panthers traveled to Snow Canyon and lost a nail-biter by one point. Read more about that game here.

Hurricane 57, Canyon View 47

Canyon View at Hurricane, Hurricane, Utah, Jan. 7, 2020 | Photo by Dave Larson, St. George News

The Tigers went north to take on Canyon View in Cedar City. Hurricane had a 12 point lead at the half and kept the lead going through the second half to get the win.

Bryce Thomas went 7-12 from the field with 19 points while Brandon Langston contributed 12 points for the Tigers. Daxton Dayley also had 10 points and 12 rebounds to get the double-double. The Falcons were led by Jaxon Jorgenson who had 18 points in the losing effort.

Desert Hills 83, Cedar 74

The Thunder and the Reds got into a shootout at Desert Hills on Tuesday. Cedar has been known for slowing the game down and playing gritty defense but there was not much defense being played by either team.

The Thunder were up 43-40 at the half with the Reds scoring 20 points in the first and second quarters. The Thunder gained the lead behind a 25 point second quarter.

Cedar at Desert Hills, St. George, Utah, Jan. 7, 2020 | Photo by Aaron Crane, St. George News

The offense for the Reds continued in the third, where they had 23 points, but the Thunder held Cedar to only 11 points in the fourth. The Reds were up two going into the fourth, but the Thunder took the game by outscoring the Reds by 11.

Mason Chase and Keegan Munson had 24 points and 20 points respectively while Peyton Holmes added 16. Munson had a double-double on the night, bringing down 12 rebounds.

Dixie 70, Crimson Cliffs 48

The undefeated Flyers went on the road to play the Mustangs and won in blowout fashion. At halftime, Dixie was only up by eight, but in the second half, the Flyers offense exploded for 41 points to get the win.

Isaac Finnlinson led the way for Dixie with 19 points, while Andy Rich had 18 and Noah Lemke had 17. For the Mustangs, Danny Wade had an efficient 19 points on only eight shots. He went 4-6 from deep on the night.

Thursday’s games

Hurricane at Crimson Cliffs, Washington, Utah, Jan. 9, 2020 | Photo by Ryne Williams, St. George News

Crimson Cliffs 73, Hurricane 66 (OT)

Crimson Cliffs got the gutsy overtime win over Hurricane on their home court. It marked the first overtime game in school history and their first overtime win.

Crimson Cliffs plays against Desert Hills and cedar next week while Hurricane has Snow Canyon and Dixie at home.

Read more about the game here.

Dixie 49, Snow Canyon 41

Snow Canyon at Dixie, St. George, Utah, Jan. 9, 2020 | Photo by Dave Larson, St. George News

Coming off a big win over Pine View at home, Snow Canyon had some momentum going into Thursday’s road game against Dixie.

At halftime, the game was tied up at 22 points, but Dixie was able to outscore Snow Canyon in the second half to get the victory. The Warriors only scored 8 points in the third quarter, which put them in a hole going into the fourth.

Dixie takes on Pine View at home on Tuesday, then travels to Hurricane on Thursday. For Snow Canyon, they play at Hurricane to start the week and then they are back at home on Thursday against Desert Hills.

Desert Hills 62, Canyon View 53

At Canyon View, the Desert Hills Thunder opened up a 24-8 lead in the first quarter and never looked back. The Falcons were able to cut the deficit to single digits multiple times throughout the game, only to have Desert Hills pull away again.

“We got down 12-2 in first two minutes,” said Canyon View head coach Rob Potter, who added that Desert Hills appeared to come out with “a lot of confidence” after having beaten Cedar on Tuesday.

Desert Hills at Canyon View, Cedar City, Utah, Jan. 9, 2020 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

“Once we settled in, we competed pretty hard, but every time we cut (the lead) to eight or so, they would counter with a big play,” Potter added. “Our guys played hard in spurts but we’re still looking for all 5 guys on the court to be consistent.”

Trevor Farrow, who led all scorers with 27 points, had a big second half, pouring in 20 points after halftime and going 5-of-6 from 3-point range. Meanwhile, Reggie Newby’s 12 points led four Thunder players who scored in double figures.

— written by Jeff Richards

Cedar 59, Pine View 47

At Cedar, the Reds held visiting Pine View to just three field goals in the opening quarter, taking an early 12-8 lead. Although the Panthers managed to stay within striking distance during the two middle quarters, Cedar built a comfortable lead during the fourth and eventually cruised to a 12-point win.

 Cedar head coach Mark Esplin said he thought the game was the best overall effort he’s seen from his team this season.

“The kids played hard and did what they needed to do to win,” Esplin said.

Cedar’s Treyton Tebbs led all scorers with 15 points, with Luke Armstrong adding 14 and Dallin Grant adding 10 for the Reds. Pine View was led by Michael Moore’s 14 points, with Jared Sudweeks adding 13.

 — written by Jeff Richards

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2020, all rights reserved.

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