The non-region portion of the high school boys basketball season wrapped up for some teams before the end of 2024 and concluded for others the first week of January. 

Now the competition ramps up among region rivals. 

Region 5’s Bountiful, Viewmont and Woods Cross are a couple games into league play, while in Region 1, Davis and Farmington are preparing to start their bids for league supremacy. 

Bountiful

The 8-3 Redhawks were victorious in their first two region outings and found themselves tied with Bonneville atop the standings. 

Bountiful’s first region game was on New Year’s Eve: an 85-63 rout of Box Elder. The Redhawks started off hot, scoring 30 points in the first quarter alone while building a 13-point advantage. Box Elder trimmed the margin to 40-32 at the break, but Bountiful increased the lead to 66-51 after three quarters and cruised from there. 

The Redhawks hit 13 three-pointers and got 22 points from Charlie Smith. Bryson Heath added 15 points, while Davey Howe and Wyatt Crane each chipped in 14 points. 

Bountiful dropped an 85-67 decision to Timpview on Jan. 2 in a non-region game but responded with a 66-55 win at Viewmont the following day to improve to 2-0 in league play. The Redhawks overcame a slow start and 38% shooting from the floor to get the victory. Lincoln Smith led the way with 19 points, hitting five three-pointers. Heath contributed 18 points, and Charlie Smith scored 14 points and pulled down a team-high nine rebounds. 

The Redhawks played at Northridge on Wednesday, after our press deadline, and travel to Bonneville on Friday. 

Woods Cross

The Wildcats split their first two Region 5 games and currently sit at 6-5 overall. 

The first region contest for the Wildcats was a close 45-43 loss on Dec. 31 at home to Bonneville. The defensive-minded game saw both teams struggle from the floor. Also, the Wildcats didn’t have anyone score in double figures, though three players – Marcus Stepan, Nate Smith and Hunter Jackson – each had nine points. 

On Jan. 3, Woods Cross took down a struggling Box Elder team 64-51 at home. The Wildcats enjoyed an 18-6 first quarter and never looked back. Jackson had a terrific game for Woods Cross, as the junior led all players with 25 points and 13 rebounds. Stepan had 13 points, four rebounds and three assists. Madden Johnsen scored 11 points and pulled down five rebounds. 

Next up for the Wildcats was a game at Clearfield on Wednesday. Woods Cross then hosts Viewmont on Friday. 

Viewmont 

The Vikings are 5-7 overall and 1-1 in region play as of our press time. 

Viewmont had little trouble Dec. 31 in the first region contest of the season, a 64-45 triumph at home against Roy. The Vikings shot 49% from the floor and got a big game from Drez Jensen. The senior guard had 26 points, three rebounds and three assists, hitting four shots from behind the three-point line. Adam Henderson added 12 points, while Carson Tovey was the leading rebounder for Viewmont with seven. 

In the Vikings’ loss to Bountiful on Jan. 3, Henderson was a bright spot, scoring 17 points and collecting eight rebounds. Jacob Jeppesen had 14 points and four rebounds. Tovey scored 12 points and blocked two shots. 

The Vikings had a chance to get above .500 in league play when they took on Box Elder at home on Wednesday. 

Davis 

After a successful non-region slate, the Darts are ready for Region 1. 

Davis went 11-2 in non-league action, defeating five out-of-state foes in tournaments. Most recently, Davis took down Santa Barbara, California, in the Tournament of Champions on Jan. 4. The Darts prevailed 77-72 on the strength of a big outing from Coleman Atwater. The senior guard poured in 27 points and added five rebounds while hitting six three-pointers. JT Turley had 25 points and four assists. 

In the same tournament, Davis also blew out Apollo, Arizona, 62-35 on Jan. 2 and edged Canyon, California, 54-53 on Jan. 3. Atwater had 15 points and six rebounds against Apollo, while Turley led the way against Canyon with 14 points. 

Region 1 games start this week, with Davis hosting Fremont on Friday. On Jan. 14, the Darts will play at Layton. 

Farmington 

Region games offer a fresh start for Farmington, which went 4-8 in non-league contests. The Phoenix open Region 1 at home against Weber on Friday. 

Farmington has had some struggles this season, but the team does head into region action having won three of its last five games after a 1-6 start. The Phoenix fell at Copper Hills 71-55 on Jan. 3 despite 22 points from Malakai Tobler and 13 points from Cole Tweden. Tobler leads the team in scoring this season with just under 16 points a game. 

Farmington’s last victory came two games ago in a 68-58 triumph at home over Spanish Fork on Dec. 30. Farmington outscored the Dons 28-8 in the third quarter and had four players score in double figures. Tobler paced the Phoenix with 20 points, while Cameron Brower scored 18 points. The duo combined for 10 three-pointers. λ