With 2020 – the strangest of all year – in the rear-view mirror, local boys basketball teams are looking forward to the beginning of region play. But first, some Davis County schools have a few tune-ups for league action. 

Davis 

The Darts start 2021 with a 5-3 record. The team has posted the most victories of any Region 1 team, though Davis did end 2020 on a sour note with a 57-37 loss to Bingham on Dec. 30. 

It was an offensive struggle for Davis, which only managed 12 points in the first half. Davis was down by 13 points at the break and could never catch up after falling into that early hole. The Darts picked up their offense a bit in the second half, compiling 13 points in the third quarter and 12 in the fourth. Davis shot just 30% from the floor. 

Chance Trujillo led the way for Davis with 10 points and six rebounds. He was the only Davis player to score in double figures. Rex Sunderland and Sawyer Cottrell each had nine points. Colby Sims collected six of Davis’ 14 steals. 

The Darts opened up the Region 1 portion of their schedule on Tuesday (after our press deadline) at Weber. On Friday, Davis will host Fremont. 

Woods Cross

The Wildcats saw their six-game winning streak come to an end on Dec. 29, but Woods Cross starts 2021 with a 7-3 record. That’s the best overall mark in Region 5. 

Woods Cross participated in the Utah Autism Holiday Classic Dec. 28 and 29, going 1-1. The team first blew out Skyline 72-52. In that contest, the Wildcats trailed 16-14 after one quarter but outscored the Eagles 58-36 the rest of the way. Woods Cross shot an impressive 25-44 from the field and limited Skyline to 36% shooting. Jaxon Smith paced the Wildcats with 18 points, while Charlie Spencer and Mason Bendinger each had 11 points. Nate Longmore was the leading rebounder with nine. 

The tables turned the following day against second-year school Mountain Ridge. The Sentinels got the better of Woods Cross 71-46, making 16 more shots from the field than the Wildcats. Keegan Phung had 14 points for Woods Cross, and Smith and Alex Earl chipped in 10 points apiece. 

The Wildcats hosted West on Jan. 5, the final non-region game of the season for Woods Cross. The first league game for the team is Jan. 13 when Woods Cross hosts Farmington.

Bountiful

After no games during the week of Christmas, the Braves were busy last week. The team got in four games at the Utah Autism Holiday Classic Dec. 28–31. Bountiful made the most of the four-day affair, going 4-0 and improving its record to 6-5 on the season. 

The tournament started off well for Bountiful on Dec. 28 with a 77-60 rout of Highland. Robert Whaley was the game’s leading scorer with 28 points. Austin Cooper added 19 points and six assists. Bountiful was up 59-36 heading into the fourth quarter.

Whaley had a fantastic game against Alta on day two in his team’s 62-55 victory. He posted 21 points and collected 14 rebounds. He also added four assists and three steals as he filled the stat sheet. He wasn’t the only Brave player to post impressive numbers. Cooper had 18 points, five rebounds and seven assists; Henry Smith had 17 points and nine rebounds. 

The following day, Bountiful used a 23-8 third quarter to run away from Park City in a 64-52 victory. Whaley had 20 points and six rebounds, while Smith had 11 points and seven rebounds. 

Bountiful completed a perfect tournament with a 57-42 win over Skyline on New Year’s Eve. The Braves’ defense was on full display in the third quarter when they shut out the Eagles 11-0. Whaley was the only Brave to score in double figures; his 23 points was a game-high. Still, seven other Bountiful players got in the scoring column, with Sam Stevenson chipping in seven points. 

The Braves played at Lone Peak on Tuesday and next host Real Salt Lake Academy on Thursday. The team’s first region contest is Jan. 13 at home against Bonneville. 

Viewmont

  The Vikings went 2-2 last week, with all four games coming in the Utah Autism Holiday Classic. Viewmont began this week with a 6-5 overall record. 

Viewmont fell to Mountain Ridge 43-26 on Dec. 28 and then to Olympus 56-48 the following day. On Dec. 30, the team’s fortunes changes with a 54-52 victory over Murray. Viewmont held on despite being outscored 14-8 in the fourth quarter and 27-19 in the second half. Brash Emery had 20 points and five assists, while John Barnes had 11 points and seven rebounds. Will Schultz had a team-high 11 rebounds. 

On Dec. 31, Viewmont closed out the tournament on a good note with a 63-50 triumph over Park City. Viewmont outscored the Miners 20-14 in both the first and fourth quarters, which essentially accounted for the margin of victory. Four Vikings tallied double figures in scoring, led by Emery’s 15 points. Schultz had 12, Tietjen had 11 and Radek Pulsipher had 10. 

On Tuesday, the Vikings closed out the non-region portion of their schedule with a game against Riverton. The team plays at Box Elder on Jan. 13 to open region action. 

Farmington

The Phoenix had just one game last week, a thrilling 60-59 overtime win over East on Dec. 30. The slimmest-of-margins victory improved Farmington to 5-6 on the year with one non-region game left to go. 

This back-and-forth contest saw Farmington behind 30-26 at the break. After a 21-12 third-quarter run, the Phoenix were in front 37-32 heading into the final six minutes of regulation. East tied things up to send the game into extra time. It was here where Farmington held off the Leopards to break a two-game losing streak.

Calen Mordue had 16 points for the Phoenix, and teammate Everett Page added 14 points. Michael Rawson and Truman Hendry contributed 10 points and eight points, respectively.

Farmington hosts West Jordan on Thursday and then begins Region 5 play on Jan. 13 at Woods Cross.