Last week marked the beginning of region games for all teams in Class 5A’s Region 5. This included local teams Farmington, Woods Cross, Viewmont and Bountiful. In Region 1 of Class 6A, Davis won its fourth league game in as many tries. 

Farmington

The Phoenix had an up-and-down non-region portion of the season, finishing 6-6. But last week’s region opener and follow-up game both went Farmington’s way to take the team’s record to 8-6 overall. 

Neither game was close.

Farmington had a surprisingly easy time with Woods Cross on Jan. 13, prevailing 76-47. The Phoenix used a 22-12 first quarter to get out comfortably in front and never look back. By halftime, Farmington was ahead 43-23, and the rout was on. Even late in the game, when Farmington’s reserves were on the floor, the team allowed just three points in the final six minutes. Farmington shot better than 55% from the floor and limited Woods Cross to 37% shooting. Collin Chandler had 22 points, four rebounds and four assists for Farmington. Truman Hendry added 21 points and seven rebounds. 

On Jan. 15, the Phoenix got past Bountiful 82-65 – only this time, things were close until Farmington went on a fourth-quarter tear to seal the win.

The Phoenix were ahead just 53-48 heading into the final six minutes. Farmington piled up 29 points in the fourth quarter, limiting Bountiful to 17. Collin Chandler had a huge offensive evening. The senior lit up the scoreboard with 36 points, including four three-pointers. He added four rebounds too. Hendry had 12 points and seven rebounds, while Caleb Mordue chipped in 10 points. 

This week, Farmington plays at Box Elder on Friday. 

Woods Cross

After falling hard to Farmington in the region opener, Woods Cross rebounded nicely with a 78-63 win over Box Elder. This improved the team’s record to 8-4 on the season. 

Three Wildcat players totaled double figures in scoring, led by Mason Bendinger’s 20. Zach Delange had 18 points in the win and also added four assists. Jaxon Smith had 15 points, all from three-pointers. Cade Eberhardt had 10 rebounds. In all, eight players scored for Woods Cross. 

The Wildcats get a chance to move to 2-1 in Region 5 this Friday when they travel to Bonneville. Woods Cross swept the season series with the Lakers a year ago. 

Viewmont

Viewmont enters this week with a 1-1 Region 5 record and 7-7 overall. Last week saw the Vikings struggle a bit offensively, but the team played solid defense. 

The Vikings first fell in the region opener to Box Elder, 61-53 on Jan. 13. The Vikings scored 20 of their 53 points in the first quarter alone but found the going to be tougher the rest of the way. Up 32-28 at the break, Viewmont scored just 21 points in the second half while giving up 33. Brash Emery had 19 points and three assists, while John Barnes had 14 points and four rebounds. 

Two nights later, Viewmont played at Bonneville in a game where neither team had much success finding the basket – especially early on. There was a grand total of two points in the first quarter, courtesy of Viewmont. The Vikings were down 14-8 at halftime and had managed just 16 points after three quarters. Heading into the fourth quarter, Viewmont was down by seven points. The offense finally picked up in the fourth, as Viewmont outscored Bonneville 22-13 to win 38-36. Scott Noel had 12 points, while Radek Pulsipher and Emery each had 10.

The Vikings’ only game this week is a home game against Bountiful on Friday. 

Bountiful

The Braves were the only Region 5 team without a win in week one. The team begins this week at 6-9 overall and on a four-game losing streak.

In the region opener, the Braves dropped a 54-45 decision to Bonneville. Bountiful started off well with a 13-8 lead at the end of the first quarter. However, Bonneville outscored the Braves 19-10 in the second quarter. Bountiful reversed its fortunes with a 16-9 advantage in the third quarter to pull ahead 39-36. But the Lakers had an 18-6 advantage in the fourth to claim victory. Trevin Ostler had 18 points, and Robert Whaley contributed 14 points in the loss. 

The Braves’ loss to Farmington featured some second-half woes for the team. Bountiful was down just 53-48 entering the fourth quarter. In the final six minutes, the Braves allowed 29 points to thwart any hopes of a comeback. Whaley had 21 points, and Ostler had 14 points in the 82-65 loss. 

When Bountiful plays at Viewmont this Friday, the Braves will have a chance to extend their winning streak over the Vikings. Bountiful won both matchups last year. 

Davis

The Darts keep rolling in Region 1. Davis is 4-0 as this week begins and boasts an overall mark of 9-3. 

Davis used a dominant first quarter on Jan. 12 to defeat Syracuse. Davis went up 24-11 in the first six minutes and was up 49-35 entering the fourth quarter. The Darts prevailed 60-52, with Rex Sunderland scoring 17 in the game. Henry Ihrig had 13 points, while Austin Frasure added 12 points. 

The Darts’ defense was on display Jan. 15 at home against Roy, a 61-35 blowout win. Davis held Roy to 33% shooting and didn’t allow more than 10 points in any quarter. Frasure had a team-high 16 points, with Sunderland chipping 14 points. Eleven players got into the game in the rout.

Davis hosted Clearfield on Tuesday, after our press deadline. The Darts next host Layton on Friday.