Lehi Sports
Lehi boys play for tourney title today
The Lehi boys basketball team led almost the entire contest against Rolling Hills Prep from San Pedro CA, getting off to a quick start and keeping the pressure up throughout on both ends of the court to earn a 68-56 victory in the semifinal round of The Classic at Damien on Friday (Dec. 29) night.
The Pioneers will play Ironwood (13-2) out of Glendale AZ for the Diamond bracket championship this afternoon at 5 p.m. Utah time.
The Huskies won the tip and scored first, but that was the only lead they ever got. Inside the first minute, senior guard Cooper Lewis had a collision that opened up a cut above his eye, forcing him from the game for most of the first quarter as it was attended to and later requiring three stitches.
Lehi didn’t miss a beat. Junior wing Easton Hawkins answered Prep’s first basket and moved the Pioneers into a lead they would never relinquish with an airborne putback bucket. He went on to net eight straight points more in the first quarter, pushing Lehi ahead 12-3 with 1:40 left on the clock.
When Lewis returned from the training room, he was waved onto the court without even sitting down and almost immediately took a pass from senior guard Jace John, who had filled in ably in his absence, and sank a long-distance trey. The Pioneers finished the period up 15-5.
Lehi led 30-21 at the break and 51-37 after the third quarter. The Huskies pushed really hard in the fourth period and managed to reduce the deficit to eight points with 26 seconds left.
However, Hawkins and Lewis each made a pair of free throws after that, and senior forward Gabe Cowan grabbed a defensive board in between to secure the final outcome.
The team overall shot 61 percent inside the arc. Hawkins finished with 28 points including four triples, seven rebounds, three steals and a couple of assists, while Lewis netted 28 points including five treys with six boards, four steals and two assists.
Cowan had six points and 10 rebounds, with a critical six of those coming off the offensive glass. Senior forward Grayson Brousseau added three assists, two boards and two steals, and senior guard Bryson Bromley made three rebounds and a pair of assists.
“We came out really ready to play,” said Coach Quincy Lewis. “Cooper got a cut and was out almost the entire first quarter, but the rest of the guys did a great job in his absence. Easton got off to a great start and Jace gave us some really good minutes.
“Gabe gave us a boost with his rebounding, especially on the offensive side,” he went on. “They were trapping Cooper every time, but he found other guys and they were able to hit. It was a good team win.”
