Only two games separate first place from third in Region 5 boys basketball. Bountiful, Viewmont and Woods Cross are all in the mix for the league title. 

At press time, Bountiful was 7-1 in region games (13-4 overall), with Viewmont and Woods Cross right behind with region records of 6-2 and 5-3, respectively. The Vikings are 10-8 overall, and the Wildcats are 10-7 in all games. 

Bountiful’s only region loss came at the hands of Woods Cross on Jan. 22. 

On that day, the Wildcats delighted the home crowd with a big victory, outlasting the Redhawks and surviving a furious rally. 

Woods Cross charged in front 19-7 after one quarter and still led 32-21 at halftime. A strong third quarter left the Wildcats in front 50-33, seemingly comfortably ahead. But Bountiful was on fire in the fourth quarter, nearly pulling off a comeback. Madden Johnsen was the game’s leading scorer, tallying 24 points on the day. He added six rebounds and two steals in the victory. Elliot Bendinger added 12 points, 11 rebounds and three blocked shots, while Hunter Jackson chipped in six rebounds and eight assists. Bountiful got 14 points and 10 rebounds from Charlie Smith, along with 13 points and four assists from Lincoln Smith. 

Bountiful responded to the loss resoundingly, crushing Box Elder 76-44 on Jan. 24 to improve to 7-1 in region play. A 22-7 first quarter set the tone for the blowout victory. Lincoln Smith and Wyatt Crane each had 19 points, while Davey Howe had 16 points, five rebounds and five assists for the Redhawks. 

As for Woods Cross, the Wildcats defeated Bonneville two days after the huge victory over Bountiful. In a low-scoring defensive battle, Woods Cross prevailed over the Lakers 45-40 on the road after holding them to just 16 points in the first half. Woods Cross also hit 15 of 20 free throws and got 12 points from Bendinger to pace the scoring. Nate Smith-Mecham had seven points and seven rebounds. 

Woods Cross played at Box Elder on Wednesday, after our press deadline. On Friday, the Wildcats host Clearfield. Meanwhile, Bountiful was in action on Wednesday at Viewmont before entertaining Northridge on Friday. 

Viewmont

Viewmont is right there at the top, just a game behind Bountiful for first place in Region 5. 

The Vikings suffered just its third loss in region games on Jan. 24 when it fell at Roy 57-54. In the back-and-forth contest, Viewmont made 11 of 13 free throws and hit seven three-pointers. Drez Jensen was the team’s leading scorer, compiling 18 points. This shouldn’t be a surprise, as the senior leads the team with 18.7 points per game. In the victory over Roy, Lukus Toner added 10 points, while Carson Tovey had six points and a team-best nine rebounds. 

Last week, on Jan. 22, Viewmont had an easy time with Clearfield, running away with a 68-48 win. Viewmont limited Clearfield to just 32% shooting from the floor. Also, the Vikings hit 11 three-pointers on the day, with Tovey making four. Tovey had 14 points in all to go along with three steals and five rebounds. Jensen was the leading scorer in the game, totaling 18 points. A total of 18 players saw the floor for Viewmont. 

The Vikings play Bountiful on Wednesday and next play at Box Elder on Friday.