The Bountiful boys basketball team has been in charge of Region 5 most of the season. With two games left to play, the first-place Redhawks are on the verge of clinching the league championship. 

Bountiful played at Roy on Wednesday and then wrap up the regular season with a contest at Woods Cross on Friday. Bountiful entered the week with a 10-2 record in Region 5, 16-5 overall. The Redhawks owned a one-game lead over second-place Northridge. 

The Redhawks scored a pair of blowout wins a week ago. 

On Feb. 7, Bountiful soared past Bonneville 74-54 after building a 41-28 halftime lead. The Redhawks were 7–7 from the foul line and got a huge all-around game from Charlie Smith. The junior guard/forward hit six three-points en route to his 28 points. He also led the team with eight rebounds and added five assists in the win. Carson Smith put up 20 points, six rebounds and five assists, while Bryson Heath scored 13 points, pulled down four rebounds and dished out four assists. 

Two nights later, the Redhawks were even more dominant. 

Bountiful clobbered Clearfield 76-48 on Feb. 9, with a lot of the damage coming in the fourth quarter. While the game was still competitive at 53-42 in favor of Bountiful, the Redhawks went on a clinching 23-6 run over the final six minutes. Carson Smith led the Redhawks in both scoring (23 points) and rebounding (nine rebounds). Bryson Heath had 20 points and six rebounds. Charlie Smith scored 11 points and had seven assists, while Faletau Satuala had 13 points and eight rebounds. Arturo Garcia played unselfishly to rack up 13 assists. 

Viewmont 

There was a time during the season when it appeared Viewmont was destined for the bottom of the standings. But the Vikings have turned the season around. 

With two games left to go, Viewmont is 6-6 in Region 5, good enough for fourth place. The Vikings are 7-14 overall and have won six of their last nine games. However, Viewmont has dropped two in a row after a tough stretch last week.

The Vikings fell at Woods Cross 54-42 Feb. 7, struggling offensively by making just 10 shots from the floor all game long. No one hit double figures in points for the Vikings, as Kade Cannon led the way with nine points. Drez Jensen had eight points and seven rebounds. Max Larsen had six points and a team-best eight rebounds. 

On Feb. 9, Viewmont lost at Northridge 75-60. A rough second quarter was largely to blame. During those six minutes, Northridge outscored the Vikings 24-9. Viewmont also made just 21 of 53 shots from the floor. In defeat, Max Draper and Preston Weaver had huge games. Draper had 15 points and 15 rebounds, while Weaver had similar numbers with 13 points and 13 rebounds. 

Viewmont will look to bounce back this week with a game at Clearfield Feb. 16 to end the regular season. The Vikings hosted Bonneville on Wednesday, after our press time. 

Woods Cross

The Wildcats are making a late run to improve their postseason positioning. 

The Wildcats are 5-7 in Region 5 and 6-15 overall. Woods Cross has won four of its last five games, including both contests last week.

In the big win over Viewmont, Hunter Jackson had 13 points, nine rebounds and five assists for the Vikings. Hayden Poulton added a double-double: 12 points and 10 rebounds. Ben Smith-Mecham contributed 10 points and six rebounds for Woods Cross. 

On Feb. 9, Woods Cross came back to edge Roy 53-52. The Wildcats trailed 44-39 after three quarters. This was after Roy had made a 19-10 run in the third quarter to erase what had been a 29-25 advantage for Woods Cross at the break. 

Smith-Mecham had a team-high 14 points, including four three-pointers. Bryson Watson chipped in 12 points and a team-leading eight rebounds, not to mention four assists and two steals. 

The Wildcats can cap off the season with more wins. After facing Northridge on the road on Wednesday (after our press deadline), Woods Cross hosts Bountiful of Friday.