Ultimately, league standings won’t matter much when it comes time to decide playoff seeding. But bragging rights are always in effect. Capturing a region crown is still a goal for all high school teams. In boys basketball, both Davis and Farmington are in contention for winning the top spots in their respective regions. 

Farmington

When this week began, the Phoenix were alone in first place in Region 3 with a 3-0 record, a game ahead of 2-1 Bonneville. The two teams faced off on Jan. 29 on Bonneville’s home court in a key matchup. 

That’s where Farmington’s six-game winning streak and sole possession of first place came to an end. 

Bonneville upended the Phoenix 53-48 in a defensive battle. Farmington was held to its lowest point total of the season (tied with two other games). The Phoenix were also on the wrong end of a 20-11 fourth quarter that saw Bonneville turn a 37-33 deficit into a five-point victory. 

Caleb Mordue had 16 points and seven rebounds for Farmington, while Collin Chandler added 16 points and four rebounds of his own. But no other Farmington player tallied more than four points, and the team made just two of six free throws. The loss dropped Farmington to 10-7 overall. 

Two days before, in a game at home against Viewmont, Farmington was the one doing the fourth-quarter damage. Up by a slim 35-32 margin, the Phoenix went on a 21-10 run in the final six minutes to win comfortably, 56-42. Farmington shot better than 50% and held Viewmont to just 13 field goals. Chandler had a big game. The senior totaled 29 points, five rebounds and four steals. Truman Hendry had 14 points and seven rebounds. 

Farmington hosted Woods Cross on Wednesday, after our press deadline. The Phoenix travel to Bountiful on Friday. 

Davis

Up in Region 1, Davis lost its grip on first place when it lost to Layton a couple of weeks ago. Still, the Darts won twice last week to move to 7-1 in league play and 12-4 overall. 

Both wins were lopsided, as most of Davis’ victories have been. 

On Jan. 26, Davis blew by Northridge, 76-55. The third quarter was the key in this win, with Davis outscoring Northridge 20-7 in that period. The blitz pushed the Darts’ lead from 38-35 at halftime to 58-42 heading into the final quarter. On the downside, Davis made just nine of 22 free throws. Still, thanks to 17 points and nine rebounds from Max Painter and Chance Trujillo, Davis prevailed. Austin Frasure had 13 points, while Henry Ihrig had 11 points, seven rebounds and six assists. 

On Jan. 29, Davis had another strong third quarter against Weber, contributing to a 61-43 win. Davis pushed its 29-22 lead to 46-28 following a 17-6 third quarter advantage. Rex Sunderland was the game-higher scorer, pouring in 22 points. Ihrig had 14 points and five rebounds. 

Davis played at Fremont on Tuesday, after our press deadline. The Darts next challenge Roy on the road on Friday. Davis got the better of the Royals on Jan. 15, winning 61-35. 

Other action

In Region 5, Viewmont, Bountiful and Woods Cross all started this week with 2-3 league records. Bountiful followed up an 81-64 loss to Woods Cross with a 52-40 win over Box Elder. Austin Cooper had 15 points in the win. 

After Woods Cross routed the Braves, it fell to Viewmont 51-31, scoring 50 fewer points in the loss. Brash Emery had 15 points for the Vikings in their victory over Woods Cross. The Vikings got in an extra game last week, defeating Region 1’s Clearfield 53-44 on Jan. 30. Emery had 13 points, and Radek Pulsipher had 12 points and 12 rebounds.