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Davis Journal

Boys basketball week features ups and downs for local teams

Dec 28, 2022 04:13PM ● By Josh McFadden

In a long season of more than 20 games, most boys basketball teams are going to have some off games or even rough nights. Last week, local Davis county squads wound up on both ends of the scoreboard. 

Woods Cross

The Wildcats enter this week with the most overall wins in Region 5. The 5-2 Wildcats were 2-2 last week, with three of those games coming in the Northern Utah Shootout tournament Dec. 8–10. 

Woods Cross opened the tournament with a tough draw against one of the top teams in the state year in and year out, Olympus. Woods Cross fell 63-38, as it got off to a slow start, trailing 30-13 at halftime. The Wildcats made just 14 of 46 shots from the field. Alex Brey led the team with 14 points and seven rebounds, while Jaxon Smith added 10 points. Mason Bendinger had six points and seven rebounds. 

The Wildcats rebounded on Dec. 9 with an easy 83-51 win over Class 6A’s Hunter. It was already 28-10 after just one quarter for Woods Cross, which raced to a 46-18 halftime advantage. The Wildcats held the Wolverines to 33% shooting from the field. Bendinger led all scorers with 25 points. Smith had 12 points, all on three-pointers. Will Campbell and Cade Eberhardt had 11 points and 10 points, respectively. Brey had a game-high 11 rebounds, while Jackson pulled down nine boards of his own. Fourteen Wildcats saw action, with 11 getting into the scoring column. 

Woods Cross closed the tournament on Dec. 10 with a close 70-68 loss to Sky View. This was a game of runs, as the Wildcats led 24-14 at the end of the first quarter but just 38-37 at halftime. After the Wildcats pushed the lead to 57-51 heading into the fourth quarter, Sky View outscored Woods Cross 19-11 over the final six minutes to get the win. Smith had 22 points for Woods Cross, while Bendinger added 17 points. Brey chipped in 14 points, four assists and a pair of steals in the loss. 

This week, the Wildcats hosted Fremont on Wednesday (after our press deadline) and then play at home against Alta on Friday. 

Bountiful

The Redhawks also participated in the Northern Utah Shootout. They went 1-2 in the tournament to move their record to 2-3. 

The first two games on Dec. 8 and 9 didn’t go Bountiful’s way. The team first lost to Sky View in a 72-71 heartbreaker. The Redhawks had trailed by 12 entering the final quarter before a big rally fell just short. The following day, Davis edged the Redhawks 51-46. But Bountiful closed things out on the final day of the tournament with an 80-53 drilling of Hunter. 

In the win, Bountiful had 49 points at halftime, as well as 30 points in the second quarter alone. Carson Smith had 14 points and nine rebounds. Charlie Smith contributed 12 points. Tanner Crane and Arturo Garcia also scored in double figures with 11 and 10 points, respectively. 

The Redhawks are involved in another tournament this week, the Coach Walker Holiday Classic. Bountiful will face Logan, Cedar City and Riverton Thursday, Friday and Saturday. 

Davis

The Darts were the third local team to take part in the Northern Utah Shootout, and they had the most success. Davis went 2-1 during the three-day affair, losing only to Olympus by two points in the final game. 

The Darts cruised past Hunter 83-53 on Dec. 8, amassing 50 points in the second half. Kaden Eggett was unstoppable, as the senior forward had a tremendous outing of 36 points and 11 rebounds. Teammate Zach Fisher was also solid, posting 18 points and pulling down six rebounds. Alex Fisher added 10 points. Davis was hot from the field, making 34 of 59 shots. 

Game two of the tournament saw the Darts defeat Bountiful 51-46. Davis held the Redhawks to 17 of 48 shooting on the evening. Colby Whicker led the way with 15 points, while Zach fisher had 11 points and eight rebounds. 

The final game against Olympus was a close 66-64 loss. Davis overcame a slow start in which it trailed 22-11 after one quarter. But the rally came up just short, as Davis fell to 3-3 on the year. Whicker had a game-high 24 points, including five three-pointers. Zach Fisher and Eggett had 19 points and 14 points, respectively. 

Davis hosts Lone peak on Thursday. Another tournament, the Deseret Holiday Classic, is coming up.