It has been 13 years since the Viewmont boys basketball team tasted a region title. At the rate they’re going, the Vikings could break that streak this season. 

Viewmont’s last league crown came during the 2011–12 campaign when it went a perfect 10-0 in Class 5A’s Region 2. At that time, Viewmont competed against five foes from Salt Lake County. Fast-forward to this season, and Viewmont was tied atop the Region 5 standings with Davis County rival Bountiful at 6-1 as the teams hit the halfway point of the league schedule. 

If the second half of region play goes as well as the first half, the Vikings could claim a league championship. But plenty of critical games awaited the team. 

Viewmont’s only Region 5 loss during the first six league contests was a 66-55 setback to Bountiful at home on Jan. 3. The two teams had a rematch on Jan. 29. Half of the six victories during the first-half stretch were by double-digits, including a dominant 68-48 victory at Clearfield on Jan. 22. 

Senior guard Drez Jensen has been the top offensive player for Viewmont. 

Jensen paces the team in scoring, having averaged 18.7 points through 17 total games, helping to lead his squad to a 10-7 overall mark. Jensen is also second in rebounding with a 5.3 per-game average and is tops in assists per game with 2.4. Jensen scored in double figures in all but one game in the first 17 matchups. His season-high output through Jan. 22 was a 26-point outburst at home against Roy in the Region 5 opener on New Year’s Eve. He also had a pair of 25-point games, both on the road – Dec. 6 at Weber and Dec. 12 at Fremont. He also hauled down a season-best 10 rebounds at Mountain Ridge on Dec. 3 and recorded five steals at Woods Cross on Jan. 10. 

He has gotten some big help this season too. 

Junior guard/forward Carson Tovey scored 8.3 points per game through the first three weeks of January. He was also the leading rebounder for the Vikings, pulling down 5.4 boards a contest. Tovey’s best game of the season was arguably on Jan. 8 at home against Box Elder when he had a season-high 16 points to go along with seven rebounds and a pair of assists. 

Senior guard Lloyd Williamson has contributed more than six points a game, while senior Jacob Jeppesen and junior Adam Henderson each scored just under six points a night. 

Viewmont has enjoyed well-balanced scoring and has a deep bench. Head coach Travis Frey’s squad has seen more than 20 players record a statistic in varsity play this season. 

At press time, the Vikings held the No. 11 spot in the Class 5A RPI rankings. Viewmont will work to improve that ranking, which determines the seeding for the state playoffs. The 5A tournament gets underway Feb. 19 with first-round games on the home courts of higher-seeded teams. The second round, which starts Feb. 21, is also at home sites. The quarterfinals, semifinals and finals are at the University of Utah.

Viewmont finishes the regular season at home against Clearfield on Feb. 14. λ