Region 10 boys basketball: Crimson Cliffs, Dixie, Desert Hills all win; Flyers pulling ahead of pack

Written by E. George Goold
January 27, 2023

ST. GEORGE — Region 10 boys basketball action heated up Friday night as a frontrunner has emerged.

Dixie remained unbeaten in region play after a road trip and sits atop the region standings.

Meanwhile, Crimson Cliffs pounced on Snow Canyon at home and Desert Hills went to Cedar City and got back into the win column.

Following are recaps of Friday night’s games:

Crimson 51, Snow Canyon 38

The defending 4A state champion Warriors were without the services of team leader Owen Mackay, who was on the bench in street clothes with a sprained ankle.

Bear Leavitt chases down a loose ball against Crimson Cliffs in a Region 10 boys basketball game, Washington, Utah, Jan. 27, 2023 | Photo by E. George Goold, St. George News

But Snow Canyon fought every single possession and the outcome was in doubt for most of the contest. The Warriors took an 11-10 lead after the first quarter when Cy Meacham canned two triples and sank a bucket in a hot start.

The visitors kept up the defensive pressure, limiting Crimson to just two field goals in the second quarter and taking a 24-19 lead at halftime in the defensive slugfest.

Jordan Eaton caught fire for the home team in the third quarter, sinking two 3-pointers as Crimson staked claim to the lead. Phoenix McWillis also scored five critical points to help Crimson take a 34-33 lead into the final session.

And then the Mustangs cemented the victory with smothering defense, holding Snow Canyon to zero field goals in the final stanza.

The Warriors sank just five free throws while McWillis netted eight of his game-high 18 points in the last quarter. Mustangs big man Houston Johnsen finished with 12 points and Eaton posted 11 in the victory.

Meacham led Snow Canyon with 17 points in a valiant effort without their leader. Luke Hamlin was the only other double-digit scorer for the Warriors after he tallied 10 points in the setback.

Snow Canyon next hosts Pine View on  Wednesday, Feb. 1, at 7 p.m., while Crimson Cliffs plays at Cedar.

Desert Hills 69, Cedar 63

In a streaky, back-and-forth battle punctuated by pronounced scoring runs by both teams, the Desert Hills Thunder prevailed at Cedar City on Friday night, 69-63.

Desert Hills at Cedar, Region 10 boys basketball, Cedar City, Utah, Jan. 27, 2023 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

The Thunder started the game on a strong note, opening up early leads of 5-0 and 10-2 over the Reds.

With just over one minute left in the first quarter, Desert Hills extended its lead to 19-4, but Cedar rallied to make it 23-11 by the end of the quarter. The Reds then continued their momentum by scoring the first 12 points of the second quarter to tie the game 23-23. But Desert Hills managed to pull away again, eventually taking a 40-34 halftime lead.

Cedar outscored the Thunder 18-9 during the third to pull within one point. The Reds then made the first basket of the fourth quarter to briefly go up 50-49, their only lead of the game. Desert Hills quickly answered with a pair of back-to-back 3-pointers to regain the advantage.

Cedar made one final rally toward the end of the game, narrowing the deficit to 65-63 with just under 45 seconds remaining. The Thunder went on to score the last four points of the game, the final two on a pair of free throws by Lincoln Holmes with 18 seconds left.

Holmes and Boston Holbrook led the Thunder’s balanced scoring attack with 15 points apiece, while Jackson Holman added 13.

Cedar was led by Ty Bronson’s 17 points, with Boston Garrett adding 15 and Stockton Albrecht scoring 12.

Cedar next hosts Crimson Cliffs on Wednesday, Feb. 1 at 7 p.m., while Desert Hills visits Hurricane.

– written by Jeff Richards

Dixie 64, Hurricane 45

Dixie point guard Jordan Roberts continued his assault on the scorebook Friday night. He shot 100 percent from the field in the Tiger Den, including a 3-for-3 mark from 3-point land.

He was a perfect 4-for-4 on 2-point shots and the only miss he had came at the foul line, where he shot 6-for-7. Roberts led all scorers with 23 points. He also recorded seven assists and six rebounds.

Fellow junior teammate Kyle Lemke was almost as solid, sinking 8-of-9 free throws and finishing with 20 points for the winners.

Five other Flyers scored at least 2 points in the win, which brought Dixie to an unbeaten 7-0 in Region 10 play.

Region 10 boys basketball standings, as of Jan. 28
  1. Dixie 7-0 (16-2)
  2. Crimson Cliffs 5-2 (11-5)
  3. Snow Canyon 5-2 (11-7)
  4. Desert Hills 3-4 (10-7)
  5. Cedar 2-5 (7-9)
  6. Pine View 2-4 (3-12)
  7. Hurricane 0-7 (2-14)

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2023, all rights reserved.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Eric George Goold came to St. George News from southwestern Colorado, where he was a radio news reporter. He has been a journalist for over 20 years in five different states. He graduated with a master's degree in English from Kansas State University and writes nonfiction as well. Goold has been published in Sunstone Magazine and has done multiple public readings about local history. When he has free time, he enjoys chess, movies and dogs.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @STGnews

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