The boys basketball postseason is here, and every team has a renewed outlook – not to mention a shot at a state title. 

While some teams are clearly more equipped and prepared to advance in the state tournament than others, each school has the big prize to play for. 

Davis

Josh McFadden In Class 6A, Davis tied for fourth with Farmington in Region 1 with a 6-6 record. Overall, the Darts enter the playoffs at 12-11. Davis has the No. 12 seed, pitting it against Region 1 foe Weber in the first round at home. The first-round matchup was set for Feb. 22, after our press deadline. A win in that contest would advance the Darts to a Friday contest at Layton, the second-place team in Region 1. 

The Darts defeated Weber in both regular-season meetings between the two teams. In game one, Davis won easily on the road, 82-55 on Jan. 10. In the rematch on Feb. 3, the Darts prevailed 57-47. Davis comes into the playoffs on a two-game losing streak. Last week, Davis fell to Clearfield in a close 52-51 game on Feb. 14. That preceded a 67-45 defeat at the hands of Fremont on Feb. 16. In that game, Davis made just eight of 16 free throws and struggled from the field, going 14 of 37. Zach Fisher paced the Darts with 10 points and six rebounds. 

Davis has four double-digit scorers on the roster. Fisher leads the way with a 12.9 average, followed by Colby Whicker (11.4) Kaden Eggett (11.3) and Coleman Atwater (10.2).

Farmington

The Phoenix have seed No. 10 in the 6A tournament. Farmington faced West at home on Feb. 22. The winner plays Fremont on Friday. If Farmington moves on, it will face a Silverwolves squad that it lost to twice this season. 

The Phoenix did win both of their games last week to earn some momentum. Farmington blasted Weber 76-59 on Feb. 14 and then defeated Clearfield at home 69-51 on Feb. 16. In that victory, Paul Beattie led all scorers with 20 points. Jayden Haskell contributed 15 on the day. As a team, the Phoenix hit seven three-pointers. 

Beattie is the leading scorer on the team, averaging 16.6 points a game. Cole Johnson chips in 12.6 a game, while Haskell is right behind with a 12-point-per-game average. 

Woods Cross 

In Class 5A’s Region 5, Woods Cross was in charge all season long. The Wildcats ran away with the region crown, posting a 9-1 record, three games ahead of Box Elder. The 18-4 Wildcats are 5A’s third-seeded team. 

With the third seed, the Wildcats earned a first-round bye. On Friday, Woods Cross will host the winner of Orem and Highland. 

The Wildcats are coming off a 49-36 win over Bonneville on Feb. 17. Jaxon Smith had 16 points on the day, including four three-pointers. He also had four rebounds a pair of assists in the win. Will Campbell had 14 points and four three-pointers. Mason Bendinger added 13 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Cade Eberhardt and Alex Brey had 13 and eight rebounds, respectively. 

Woods Cross suffered its first and only region loss on Feb. 15, falling in surprising fashion to Viewmont 53-51. Bendinger had 18 points in the loss, and Smith had 11 of his own. But Viewmont’s Zach Robison was the game’s scoring star, as he racked up 23 points. Scott Noel had the best all-around effort of the contest. He had 19 points and 11 rebounds. 

Viewmont

As for the Vikings, they are seeded 22nd in the playoffs and faced off with Box Elder on Wednesday. A win for Viewmont would advance it to the second round on Friday at Lehi. 

The 9-14 Vikings defeated Box Elder in the regular-season finale, 63-57. Viewmont won despite making only four of 12 free throws. But Kaden Mitchell had a strong game, scoring 14 points. Noel and Trevor Green each had 13 points. 

Bountiful

The Redhawks went 4-6 in Region 5 and 9-13 overall. The Redhawks entered the Class 5A state tournament with the No. 20 seed where they faced 13th-seeded Juan Diego on Wednesday. Cedar Valley awaited the winner on Friday. 

Bountiful went 1-1 last week, first defeating Bonneville 53-50 on Feb. 15 and then losing at home to Northridge 56-47 on Feb. 17. In the victory, Carson Smith and Charlie Smith had 13 points and 11 points, respectively. Sam Stevenson and Faletau Satuala each had eight points. However, against Northridge, Bountiful struggled with its shooting. Carson Smith paced the team with 12 points, while Tanner Crane had 12.