By Josh McFadden | [email protected]

With COVID-19 issues threatening any game at any time, local high school athletes are happy for any opportunity to play this winter. The boys basketball season is under way, and both experienced returners and young newcomers look to contribute to their squads. 

Davis

The Darts are coming off a stellar 23-2 campaign in which it won Region 1 and come up just short in the Class 6A title game, losing to Fremont 55-53. 

Davis is replacing its top four scorers from a year ago: Jake Sampson, Spencer Vernon, Trevan Leonhardt and Dylan Perrenoud. The leading returning scorer is Rex Sunderland, a junior who averaged seven points a game a year ago. Other players who look to make an even larger contribution this season include Caden Swap, Ben Haggard and Chance Trujillo, who quarterbacked the football team this past fall. 

The Darts began the 2020–21 season with a 61-48 loss to Pleasant Grove on Dec. 4. Davis struggled from the field, hitting 18 of its 44 shots. Six of those field goals came from behind the three-point line. Sunderland paced the team with 11 points, while Austin Frasure added 10. Trujillo collected six rebounds and had three steals. 

Davis was tied with Pleasant Grove at 13-13 after one quarter. The Vikings gradually built the lead, and Davis was never able to get in command. 

It was the first season-opening loss for the Darts since Nov. 25, 2015, when they fell to Alta. 

Davis participates in the Sky Ridge Tournament Dec. 10 – 12, first playing Corner Canyon on the opening day of the tournament. 

Bountiful

The Braves already have three games under their belts, going 1-2 in the Corner Canyon Tournament of Champions. 

Bountiful responded nicely after a season-opening 79-56 loss to host Corner Canyon on Dec. 3. The Braves edged Brighton 62-59 the next day. Seven Braves scored, led by Austin Cooper, who had 15 points, including five three-pointers. Returning star Robert Whaley added 13 points and five rebounds. Henry Smith also had 13 points and had a team-high eight boards. Bountiful drained 12 three-pointers in the game, eight more than it had two-point field goals. 

The Braves trailed 33-29 at the break but outscored Brighton 17-11 in the third quarter to take a 46-44 lead into the final quarter. They did just enough in the final six minutes to fend off the Bengals to earn their first win of the year. 

On Dec. 5, Bountiful made a valiant fourth-quarter comeback against Bingham but fell 64-61. The Braves were down 35-29 at halftime and 52-42 going into the fourth quarter. Smith had 21 points and seven rebounds, while Whaley had 23 points and five rebounds. 

The Braves hosted Juan Diego on Wednesday and travel to Lehi on Friday.

Farmington

Farmington also participated in the Corner Canyon Tournament of Champions Dec. 3–5. Like Bountiful, the Phoenix won one of their three contests. 

The Phoenix opened the three-day affair with a 79-57 blowout of Syracuse. Farmington opened things up in the second quarter, pushing a 21-17 lead at the end of the first quarter to 44-24 at halftime. The Phoenix maintained a comfortable lead throughout the second half. Collin Chandler lit up the stat sheet with 27 points, four rebounds and four assists. He also connected on five three-pointers. Truman Hendry had 19 points. Seven other Farmington players got in the scoring column. 

In game two of the tournament, Farmington lost to Westlake 83-68 despite 19 points from Caleb Mordue. On Dec. 5, Farmington ran out of steam in a 68-48 blowout loss to Lehi. The Phoenix got behind early and never recovered for their slow start. Collin Chandler led the team with 13 points and added six rebounds as well. 

Farmington hosted Highland on Tuesday, after our press deadline. The team’s next game is Dec. 15 at home against Alta. 

Woods Cross

Woods Cross won its only game of the season (as of our press deadline), defeating defending 6A champion Fremont 64-49 on the road on Dec. 4. It was a little payback for a Fremont squad that beat the Wildcats 77-74 last season. 

The Wildcats led virtually the entire way, increasing a 13-12 lead at the end of the first quarter to a 30-23 advantage at halftime. It was 49-38 going into the final six minutes of play. 

Keegan Phung, a 6-foot-3-inch senior, paced the Wildcats with 26 points. Mason Bendinger had 17 more, while George Makris chipped in 10 points. 

Woods Cross will take part in the Skyridge Tournament Dec. 10–12. The team will first take on Alta. 

Last season, Woods Cross went 19-6 overall and captured the Region 5 crown with an 8-2 record in league play. 

Viewmont

The Vikings struggled last season with a 2-8 mark in Region 5 and 7-17 overall. But Viewmont opened the new season in winning fashion. 

On Dec. 4, the Vikings upended Layton 79-70 at home, thanks largely to strong first and fourth quarters. Viewmont led 25-16 after one period and then outscored Layton 22-14 in the final quarter after the Lancers had reduced Viewmont’s margin to a single point after three quarters. 

Four Vikings hit double figures in scoring. Garrett Tietjen led the way with 20 points, including a trio of three-pointers. Brash Emery had 14 points, three rebounds and four assists. Dawson Kearns had 12 points, while Will Schultz had 11 points and seven rebounds. 

It was a much lower-scoring game in Viewmont’s next outing on Dec. 7. Traveling to West Jordan, Viewmont scored just 20 points in the second half in a 46-44 loss to the Jaguars. The Vikings were up 24-22 at the break and 40-34 after three quarters. Tietjen once again was the scoring leader for his team. This time, he had 14 points, including four three-pointers. Schultz nearly had a double-double, posting nine points and eight rebounds. 

Viewmont will take part in the competitive American Fork Elite 8 tournament Dec. 10–12.