Lehi Sports
Falcon boys start hoops tourney at Herriman
The Skyridge boys basketball team dropped their final two regular-season games last week but still advanced to the second round of the state tournament. The Falcons finished in fourth place in Region 3 at 4-6 and are 9-14 overall.
No. 14 Skyridge will be starting the playoffs on the road against the No. 3 Mustangs (18-5), who finished second to Corner Canyon in Region 2. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. on Friday (Feb. 23).
If they win, the Falcons will play the winner of No. 11 Fremont (12-11) and No. 6 Davis (16-7) on Feb. 26 in the quarterfinals at 2:30 p.m. at the University of Utah’s Huntsman Center.
Feb. 13: Pleasant Grove 71, Skyridge 65
The Vikings got off to a quick start on their home floor, but the Falcons responded and led 21-17 by the end of the first quarter. It stayed close for a short time, but Pleasant Grove mounted a big run and built a 39-30 advantage before heading to the locker room at the end of the half.
The margin was in double digits for much of the third quarter, but Skyridge mounted a comeback and retook the lead early in the final period. The contest was tight the rest of the way, but the Vikings did enough to close out the win.
Junior forward Jordan Kohler added another notch to his tally of double-doubles with 22 points and 12 rebounds plus a block on the night. Sophomore Ryder Gentry added 12 points, four boards and four assists.
Senior forward Ethan Gagon posted six points with three rebounds and two deflections. Senior guards Tate Larson and Cohen Fountaine added six points apiece, while senior guard Dane Housley made nine assists and two deflections.
“We’re disappointed about the outcome of tonight’s game,” said Coach Jeff Gardner. “Defensively we didn’t do a good job on the ball and it hurt us, especially in the second quarter.
“When we got the lead in the fourth quarter, they hit some big shots when they needed to,” he said. “Unfortunately, we didn’t make enough plays down the wire to come out on top.”
Gardner added, “I’m proud of our players, who are working hard and giving us great effort. Now it’s back to work to prepare for American Fork on Friday.”
Feb. 16: American Fork 61, Skyridge 44
The Falcons played toe-to-toe with the Cavemen in the second and fourth quarters but gave up too much at the start and so found themselves playing from behind the whole night.
American Fork jumped ahead 16-5 in the first and led 30-19 at the break. The Cavemen added to the margin in the third period and had a 51-31 advantage heading down the home stretch, more than enough to finish out the win.
Kohler led the way for the Falcons with 14 points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals. Housley added nine points and five assists, senior Luke Yates scored seven points with three boards and Gagon tallied six points and three steals. Senior forward Jackson Mosteller netted five points.
“I was proud of the effort tonight,” said Gardner. “I thought we guarded hard and played aggressively on the defensive side of the ball. Luke Yates came off the bench tonight and gave us a lift.
“We got off to another slow start which is tough to overcome against a strong opponent,” the coach added. “We have to figure out a way to get off to a better start as we head into state next Friday. We have a great group of young men and we are excited for the tournament.”
