Region 9 boys basketball recap: Dixie stays undefeated, Cedar is turning some heads and Crimson takes third place

Written by Ryne Williams
January 24, 2020

ST. GEORGE — The Flyers are the lone undefeated team in Region 9 after beating Desert Hills and Canyon View by 18. The Cedar Reds are making a huge turn around after only winning two region games last year and six games overall. They now have sole possession of second place with six region victories. The first-year school in Region 9, Crimson Cliffs, rounds out the top three with a 5-3 record. There was also a Pine View and Desert Hills rematch that did not disappoint, with Peyton Holmes hitting a game-winning 3-point shot.

Tuesday’s games

Crimson Cliffs 64, Canyon View 45

At Canyon View, visiting Crimson Cliffs defeated the Falcons 63-45, with guard Trei Rockhill leading the way with 29 points for the Mustangs. True to his first name, Rockhill poured in five 3-pointers and was 5-for-7 from long range. Fellow guard Danny Wade added 12 points and a team-high five assists. 

Crimson Cliffs held a slight 15-14 lead after one quarter but began to pull away during the second period. Then, the Mustangs started off the third quarter with a 9-0 run and weren’t seriously threatened after that.

Crimson Cliffs at Canyon View, Cedar City, Utah, Jan. 21, 2020 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

“Canyon View is always tough; they play hard,” Crimson Cliffs coach Kasey Winters said afterward, adding that the team made some defensive adjustments after the opening quarter, including trying to limit the Falcons’ shooters to no more than one shot per possession.

“I thought in the second half we did a really good job making those adjustments,” Winters said.  “We were ahead six at halftime and I don’t think they got any closer in the second half.”

Canyon View was led by Trevor Farrow’s 13 points, while Jaxon Jorgenson and Cody Spencer each added 11 points.

— written by Jeff Richards

Pine View 65, Hurricane 49

After snapping a four-game losing streak against Canyon View, the Panthers came into Tuesday’s game with a purpose. Pine View controlled the entire game and was able to get the 16-point victory behind a big night from Jared Koller and Jared Sudweeks. They had 21 and 26 points respectively in the win. Bryce Thomas led the Tigers with 14 points.

Dixie 75, Desert Hills 57

Over at Dixie on Tuesday night it was an offensive clinic. Desert Hills and Dixie are both known as teams that can put points on the board when needed, but there were three players scoring above 20 points on the night.

The Flyers played a solid first half, going into the locker room up eight at the break. This is where the Dixie offense took off, scoring 20 points in the third and fourth quarters to extend the lead and put the game out of reach for the Thunder.

Dixie’s Noah Lemke and Desert Hills’s Mason Chase led all scorers with 25 points each while Isaac Finlinson added 20 points for the Flyers in the win.

Cedar at Snow Canyon, St. George, Utah, Jan. 21, 2020 | Photo by Ryne Williams, St. George News / Cedar City News

Cedar 68, Snow Canyon 57

On Tuesday night, Snow canyon hosted Cedar at home. Snow Canyon started off in the first quarter with some solid play, but a rough second quarter had the Warriors down 13 at the half. The second half was back and forth until the fourth quarter when Snow Canyon turned up the heat late but it was not enough. Cedar got the double-digit win 68-57.

Cole Warner led all scorers with 20 points in the losing effort.

“I just thought our defensive intensity wasn’t where it needed to be,” Snow Canyon head coach Doug Meacham said. “We had a spurt there at the end where the guys, the last four minutes, played with the urgency that we needed. That’s what you have to do against a good team, you have to dictate the tempo.”

For the Reds, Dallin Grant led the way with 18 points while Zab Santana and Landon Barney both had 13 points of their own.

The Reds have surprised some people with their success so far in region play but they are a very talented team. Read more about what has changed this year for the Reds here.

Hurricane at Pine View, St. George, Utah, Jan. 21, 2020 | Photo by Dave Larson, St. George News / Cedar City News

Thursday’s games

Dixie 65, Canyon View 47

The Flyers came out in their second game of the week and got up 15 in the first half over the Falcons. After that, there was no looking back for the Flyers as they captured their eighth straight region win and stayed undefeated.

Noah Lemke had 17 points for the Flyers while Cody Spencer had 23 points for the Falcons. Isaac Finlinson and Ethan Bennett also got into double figures in scoring to help get Dixie the win.

Dixie travels to Cedar to start next week and then they’re back at home against Crimson Cliffs on Thursday. For Canyon View, they host Snow Canyon and Hurricane next week.

Crimson Cliffs 59, Snow Canyon 54

The Mustangs hit 11 threes on the road and got the win over the Warriors. The Mustangs only led by two at the half and were down three going into the fourth quarter but they went off for 22 points in the final frame to get the win 59-54.

Jacob Nielsen had 20 points on the night for the Mustangs while Trei Rockhill and Hudson Hawes added 13 points. The Warriors had three players in double figures but let a home game slip away in the fourth quarter.

Crimson Cliffs takes on Pine View at home on Tuesday and Dixie on Thursday while the Warriors are on the road at Canyon View and Pine View.

Pine View at Desert Hills, St. George, Utah, Jan. 23, 2020 | Photo by Dave Larson, St. George News / Cedar City News

Cedar 69, Hurricane 63

Cedar dominated the game for the first three quarters, leading by 14 going into the fourth quarter, but the Tigers did not give up. They dropped 26 points in the fourth quarter to make it a close game down the stretch but Cedar held on to get the road win 69-63.

Bryce Thomas and Dax Dayley combined for 43 of the Tigers’ 63 points in the losing effort.

Hurricane follows up a tough week with two road games against Desert Hills and Canyon View on Tuesday and Thursday while Cedar is at home against Dixie and Desert Hills.

Desert Hills 59, Pine View 56

Desert Hills and Pine View faced off for the second time after Ryan Hopper sank a floater to win the game in their first meeting at Pine View. The rematch did not disappoint as it went down to the wire again.

The game was tied with less than 10 seconds left when Peyton Holmes stepped into a three and drained it, winning the game for the Thunder. Holmes finished the game with 21 points while Mason Chase added 19 for the Thunder. Jared Koller led the Panthers with 20 points on the night.

The Thunder follows up their big win at home against Hurricane and then at Cedar against the Reds. Pine View starts off the week at Crimson Cliffs on Tuesday and then home against Snow Canyon.

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

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ryne Williams was a Scholar-Athlete, earning CCAA Second Team All-Conference honors while playing Basketball at San Francisco State University. He is a graduate of the University's College of Liberal and Creative Arts where he double majored in Broadcast and Electronic Communication Arts and History. A former host for the campus radio station, KSFS, Ryne previously worked for the Golden State Warriors and Oakland Raiders flagship radio station, 95.7 The Game.

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