After an early setback in Region 1 play, the Davis boys basketball team is storming back. 

The Darts are now 4-1 in league action (15-3 overall), one game behind Region 1-leading Layton, the only region foe Davis has lost to. Davis’ three-game winning streak included a decisive win over Farmington on Jan. 21, 65-46. 

In the victory over Farmington, the Darts used a big second quarter to pull away. After a 18-18 tie after one period, Davis outscored the Phoenix 18-6 in the second. For good measure, Davis padded its late in the fourth quarter, building on a 48-36 advantage. Coleman Atwater had a game-high 27 points, which includes three shots from behind the three-point arc. He was second on the team with six rebounds and paced the Darts with four assists. JT Turley scored 13 points in the win. 

For Farmington, Malakai Tobler hit three three-pointers, accounting for most of his team-best 11 points. Brycen Rudolph scored seven points and had seven rebounds. 

Davis followed this win with a close 66-63 victory at home over Weber on Jan. 24. Once again, the Darts had a productive second quarter. This time, Davis used a 21-12 second-quarter run to turn an 18-9 deficit after one quarter into a 30-30 tie at halftime. Davis then outscored Weber 36-33 in the second half to secure the important Region 1 triumph. 

Four Darts scored in double figures, with Turley leading the way with 17 points. Atwater had 15 points, four rebounds and five steals, while Bode Sparrow contributed 12 points and four steals. Croyden Christensen recorded a double-double, scoring 10 points and pulling down 10 rebounds. 

Davis plays at Fremont on Friday. On Feb. 4, the Darts have a rematch with Layton. This time, the game is on the Darts’ home court. Despite losing to Layton earlier in the season, and despite trailing the Lancers in the region standings, Davis has a better RPI. The Darts are second in the Class 6A RPI standings, trailing only Herriman (Layton is third). 

Atwater is one of the leading scorers in the state, averaging more than 21 points a game. At press time, he was fifth in the state and second in Class 6A in that category. He’s also the team’s leading rebounder at 5.6 a game. Turley chips in 12.4 points an outing. 

Farmington

The 6-11 Phoenix are 2-3 in Region 1 play and sit in the No. 17 spot in the RPI rankings. 

Farmington’s most recent outing, however, resulted in a 66-57 victory at home over Syracuse on Jan. 24. The key to this win was the second quarter when the Phoenix outscored Syracuse 20-10. Farmington also made seven more free throws than Syracuse. 

Only two Phoenix players scored, but two of them – Tobler and Cameron Brower – each had 22 points, with Tobler making four three-pointers. Isaac Anderson also had a nice game, scoring 15 points and connecting on three shots from long range. 

Farmington plays at Weber on Friday before hosting Fremont on Feb. 4.