A few weeks ago, the Viewmont boys basketball team had just one win to its name. Now, as January turns over to February, the Vikings are suddenly making a push to the top of Region 5. 

The Vikings are on fire, having won five games in a row. 

Now at 5-3 in Region 5 and 6-11 overall, Viewmont is just one game behind a trio of teams in league play. Bountiful, Box Elder and Northridge are all 6-2. 

Viewmont has had two recent impressive victories. First, the Vikings routed Clearfield 77-54 on Jan. 24. After trailing 17-16 after one quarter, Viewmont turned the game around by outscoring the Falcons 19-11 in the second quarter and 23-10 in the third. Heading into the fourth quarter, Viewmont was comfortably in front, 58-38. Preston Weaver paced the Vikings with 13 points on the day. He also had five rebounds. Max Larsen and Drez Jensen each had 12 points, with the duo pulling down five and eight rebounds, respectively. Larsen added three assists and five steals. Kade Cannon had 11 points, and Max Draper chipped in 10 points, four rebounds and four assists in the big win. Eleven Vikings scored. 

On Jan. 26, Viewmont had a similar game at home against Roy. In this contest, Viewmont was once again trailing after one quarter, this time 20-17. But as they had done against Clearfield, the Vikings charged back and took control. Viewmont took a slim 34-33 lead into the locker room and then exploded in the second half, outscoring Roy 50-32. The offensive outburst was Viewmont’s highest-scoring game of the season. Weaver and Jensen had 18 points each, while Draper and Larsen had 12 points and 11 points, respectively. 

Viewmont has risen to 19th in the RPI rankings. It next plays at Bountiful on Thursday, followed by a game at home against Box Elder on Feb. 2.

Bountiful

As one of the three teams atop Region 5, Bountiful has a lot of competition to hold off for the top spot. The Redhawks are sixth in the RPI rankings and sport an overall record of 12-5.

The Redhawks’ last two games were blowout wins. 

Bountiful crushed Woods Cross 69-39 at home on Jan. 24, followed by an 89-58 victory over Box Elder on Jan. 26. Against Woods Cross, the Redhawks were up 29-19 at halftime before erupting for a 22-8 run in the third quarter. Charlie Smith and Carson Smith had 19 points and 17 points, respectively, with the latter getting 11 rebounds as well. Ten other players scored in the rout. 

Two days later, Bountiful flirted with hitting the century mark and scored 56 points after halftime. The Redhawks had 31 points in the fourth quarter alone when the game was already out of reach. Bountiful hit 35 shots in the win, including 11 three-pointers. Carson Smith had 27 points, while Bryson Heath added 15. Faletau Satuala chipped in 10 points for the Redhawks. 

Bountiful hosts Viewmont on Thursday, followed by a game at Northridge on Feb. 2. 

Woods Cross

The Wildcats are 3-14 overall and 2-6 in league play, though they did pick up a much-needed win on Jan. 26. 

On the heels of their 30-point loss to Bountiful, the Wildcats won a thriller, 51-50 at home. The game was knotted up at 39-39 after three quarters, and Woods Cross did just enough over the final six minutes to earn the victory. It won despite shooting just one free throw all game compared to 15 for Bonneville.  

Hunter Jackson had a great all-around game. The junior point guard paced the Wildcats with 18 points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals. Bryson Watson contributed 11 points, three rebounds and four assists, while Hayden Poulton had seven points, five rebounds and four assists. 

Woods Cross plays at Box Elder on Thursday. Then, the Wildcats play at Clearfield on Feb. 2. Box Elder edged the Wildcats the first time around, 50-49 on Jan. 5. But the Wildcats beat Clearfield in the first meeting on Jan. 10, 49-47.