Both Farmington and Davis captured region titles – the Phoenix in Region 5; the Darts in Region 1 – and had top-eight RPI ratings from the Utah High School Activities Association. The latter distinction allowed Davis to skip the first round of the Class 6A state tournament. Instead of starting Feb. 24, the seventh-seeded Davis team begins in the second round Feb. 26 at home against the winner of Layton and West. As for Farmington, the Phoenix drew an even higher seed at No. 4. However, with fewer Class 5A teams, the Phoenix don’t get a first-round bye. Farmington began the state tournament Feb. 24 at home against Spanish Fork (after our press deadline). 

Davis finished the regular season with an overall record of 18-4. The Darts were 13-1 in Region 1, one game ahead of Layton, which gave them their only loss of the region season. The Darts enter the tournament on a roll, having won eight games in a row. Last week, Davis rolled past Clearfield 56-30 on Feb. 16 and routed Northridge 61-37 on Feb. 18. Against Clearfield, Davis allowed just 17 points through three quarters, as the Falcons made just nine of their 34 shots. Chance Trujillo had 15 points for Davis, and Max Painter had 13 points and nine rebounds. 

In the win over Northridge, Davis used a strong fourth quarter to pull away. The Darts were leading 36-27 after three quarters. That’s when the team went on a 25-10 run over the last six minutes to win in a blowout. Rex Sunderland had 12 points, eight rebounds and six assists for the Darts. Trujillo had 11 points and seven rebounds, while Henry Ihrig had 11 points and six rebounds. 

Davis now awaits either Layton or West in the second round of the state tournament. The Darts are 1-1 this season against Layton but haven’t faced West since January 2017. 

Farmington

The Phoenix ran away with the Region 5 title, finishing 9-1 in league play, three games ahead of second-place Bonneville and Bountiful. Farmington heads into the state tournament 15-7 overall and on a five-game winning streak. 

Last week, Farmington defeated Viewmont 63-40 on Feb. 17 and edged Bonneville 59-53 on Feb. 19. The victory over Bonneville avenged the team’s only region loss. 

Against Viewmont, the Phoenix led 30-16 at halftime and gave up just 25 points through three quarters. Collin Chandler had a great all-around game, posting 18 points, nine rebounds and six assists. Truman Hendry added 16 points and eight rebounds. Brash Emery was the start for Viewmont in a losing effort. He had 17 points, including four three-pointers. 

In defeating Bonneville, Farmington got out to an early lead and held the advantage throughout. The Phoenix made just two free throws but got 22 points from Chandler. He added four rebounds and two assists. Hendry had 10 points and six assists. 

A victory over Spanish Fork in the first round of the playoffs would send the Phoenix to a second-round home matchup with the winner of Provo and Highland on Friday. 

Other postseason games

Bountiful tied for second in Region 5 with a 6-4 mark. The Braves were 12-11 overall during the regular season. The Braves hosted Orem on Wednesday (after our press deadline) with a chance to advance to Friday’s second-round game against the winner of Brighton and Skyline. 

Robert Whaley paces the team in scoring and rebounding at 19.5 and 7.1, respectively. Austin Cooper contributes 10.9 points an outing, while Henry Smith chips in 10.5 points a game. 

Viewmont also went 12-11 overall. The Vikings were 5-5 in Region 5 and finished in fourth place. Emery is the only Viking to average in double figures in scoring. He pours in 14.4 points a game and made 54 three-pointers during the regular season. 

The Vikings are seeded 14th in the state tournament. They hosted Wasatch on Wednesday for the chance to play at No. 3 seed Lehi on Friday. 

Woods Cross went 2-8 in league play and head into the postseason with a 10-11 overall record. Keegan Phung is the team’s leading scorer with an average of 14.9 points a game. Mason Bendinger averages 13.1 points a contest. Despite a rough region season, the Wildcats still opened up the 5A state tournament with a home game. The 16th-seeded Wildcats hosted Salem Hills on Wednesday. The winner would move on to play at top-seeded Timpview on Friday.