The Davis boys basketball team is one win away from a state title.

Davis defeated Region 2 rival Layton 75-55 in the Class 6A state semifinals, Feb. 26 at the Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City. 

Throughout the region schedule of the regular season, the Darts were neck and neck with Layton. The two schools shared the Region 2 title by going 9-1 in league, with each team handing the other its sole loss in region play. 

The third matchup of the season was by far the most important. After a slow start, Davis dominated the contest. 

The Darts moved to 23-3 on the year and reached the 6A finals with a tremendous effort in the final three quarters. Davis trailed 21-9 after one quarter and then went on a 66-34 run the rest of the way. Davis owned the second quarter 19-4 and then outscored the Lancers 29-19 in the third quarter and 18-11 in the fourth. The Darts shot 50% from the field and limited Layton to just 36% shooting. 

Four Darts hit double figures in scoring, with Coleman Atwater, one the leading scorers in the state, pacing the team with 18 points. Atwater added four rebounds and three steals in the victory. Bode Sparrow was right behind with 17 points and four steals. JT Turley had a solid all-around performance, scoring 16 points, pulling down six rebounds and handing out seven assists. Bennett Wright chipped in 11 points. Tradon Bessinger and Bryker Couser each contributed seven rebounds. 

Davis owned the glass, out rebounding Layton 37-19. The Darts also hit nine three-pointers compared to just three for Layton. It was the 11th win in a row for Davis, with its last loss coming in the second region game of the season, Jan. 14, by the score of 66-43. Davis turned the tables on Feb. 4 with a home win over 68-52. The semifinals victory propelled Davis to the state finals for the second time in the past five seasons. The last time the team reached the championship was in 2021 when it prevailed over Westlake 60-55 to win the school’s eight state crown. 

The Darts, seeded second in the playoffs, face a tall order in the championship game, which is slated for Thursday at 7:30 p.m. Davis will take on top-seeded Herriman at the Huntsman Center. Herriman is 24-2 on the year. 

Davis began the state tournament Feb. 21 with a scare from 15th-seeded American Fork. Though American Fork had a record of just 8-16 entering the game, it gave the Darts everything they could handle. In a two-overtime thriller, Davis outlasted the Cavemen 65-63. Sparrow had 19 to lead Davis, while Atwater had 18 points. Bessinger and Turley scored 13 and 11 points, respectively. 

In the quarterfinals, the Darts dispatched a pesky Westlake team 65-59 behind 26 points and five rebounds from Atwater. Turley had a nice stat line too: 11 points, three rebounds, three assists and four steals. Bessinger had 10 points and four rebounds of his own.