Four games into the Region 5 portion of the season, Bountiful is atop the league standings with two other teams. Viewmont and Woods Cross, meanwhile, both earned its first victories in region play. 

Bountiful 

The Redhawks are now 3-1 in Region 5 and 9-4 overall, sharing first place with Box Elder and Northridge. After playing at Clearfield on Wednesday, after our press deadline, Bountiful hosts Roy on Friday. 

On Jan. 10. Bountiful trounced Northridge 69-46, giving the Knights their only loss in league action. Bountiful limited Northridge to just 18 points in the first half and 17 field goals the entire game. 

Eleven Redhawks got into the scoring column, with Carson Smith tallying 12 to lead the team. Faletau Satuala added nine points, and Arturo Garcia contributed eight in what was a balanced effort for the Redhawks. 

Another lopsided win came two nights later when the Redhawks defeated Bonneville at home 60-41. A strong 21-9 first quarter got Bountiful off to a good start in a game they were in control of most of the way. Carson Smith had a game-high 25 points and pulled down eight rebounds, while Charlie Smith added 15 points and six rebounds. Bryson Heath chipped in 11 points, six rebounds and three steals. 

Viewmont

The Vikings’ first Region 5 win came Jan. 12 over Woods Cross, 73-60, improving Viewmont’s record to 2-12. The deciding factor in this game was a 27-12 second quarter in favor of Viewmont. 

Bolstered by three three-pointers, Drez Jensen led the Vikings with 17 points Cache Tuia also had three three-pointers and scored 12 points on the day. Max Larsen and Max Draper each had 11 points. In all, Viewmont connected on 14 shots from behind the three-point line. 

On Jan. 10, Viewmont lost to Box Elder in a game that also ended in a 73-60 count, this time with the Vikings on the wrong end. The Vikings trailed just 50-49 heading into the fourth quarter. 

Jensen paced the Vikings with 15 points in the loss. Larsen had 11 points and team-high outputs of five rebounds and four assists. Tuia, Draper and Carson Tovey each had eight points. 

Viewmont hosted Northridge on Wednesday and next travel to Bonneville for a clash on Friday. 

Kade Cannon, Viewmont (white jersey) reminds Woods Cross’ Hayden Poulton he’s in a bad part of town by removing the ball from his possession. The intense Viking “D” led to their second win this season, 73 - 60. Photo by Roger V. Tuttle

Woods Cross

The 2-11 Wildcats may have suffered a discouraging defeat at the hands of rival Viewmont on Jan. 12, but they did manage to pick up win No. 1 in Region 5 two days before. 

Woods Cross played tough defense in a low-scoring 49-47 win over Clearfield on Jan. 10. The Wildcats surrendered just 20 points after halftime and limited the Falcons to just 15 field goals. Woods Cross hit 20 shots from the floor but only got to the foul line for a pair of shots, making both. 

Eli Michaelis was the only Wildcat player to hit double figures in scoring, registering 11 points. Bryson Watson and Kole Johnsen each had nine. Michaelis also had 11 points in the loss to Viewmont. However, teammates Hunter Jackson and Hayden Poulton had 14 points and 11 points, respectively. Also, Watson and Ben Smith-Mecham each added 10 points. 

The Wildcats can get back on the winning track this Friday at home against Northridge. Woods Cross hosted Roy on Wednesday, after our press deadline.