Lehi Sports
Pioneer boys go 2-1 as region play begins
The Lehi High School boys basketball team tallied two big victories to close out the preseason schedule and then dropped a one-point thriller at American Fork to start the Region 3 campaign.
Dec. 28: Lehi 81, Murray 64
At Olympus in the Utah Autism Holiday Classic, the Pioneersgalloped ahead of the Spartans in a high-scoring first quarter to earn a 25-15 advantage, but it was the 21-8 run in the second period that ultimately secured the favorable outcome.
Lehi had five players in double figures, led by sophomore wing Ashton Shewell with 24 points including four triples along with three assists, four steals and a block, while sophomore guard Saxon Young added 16 points, seven assists and five steals.
Senior wing Easton Hawkins posted 12 points with sevenrebounds and four assists. Senior forward Peyton Hawkins netted 11 points and senior center Drew Durrant had 10 points with five boards.
Senior forward Jared Martin grabbed five rebounds and blocked a shot and senior point guard Cole Welch had four assists and a couple of steals.
“This was a good game to shake off the holiday rust,” said Coach Reed Bromley. “I was pleased that we were able to spread out the scoring and each player made contributions in multiple ways.”
Jan. 7: Lehi 74, Salem Hills 58
The Pioneers played a strong first half on the road, building a 23-14 advantage in the first quarter and moving ahead 48-25 by the break, cruising on to the finish from there.
Easton Hawkins had a double-double with 24 points and 10 assists plus six boards to lead the way. Shewell added 18 points and Young had 14 points with three assists.
Peyton Hawkins tallied 10 points and nine rebounds while Durrant had seven points and four boards. Welch had three rebounds and six assists.
“We started out great tonight,” Bromley said. “We had a big lead at the half, but then we got a little casual offensively. We turned it over a bit and took some bad shots but still played good enough defense to get the job done.
“Easton had an excellent game and that gave us a big boost,” the coach continued. “Peyton is playing really well around the glass on both ends. Saxon had 12 points on seven shots from the field and has really stepped up when we needed him to.”
Jan. 10: American Fork 53, Lehi 52
The Pioneers played from behind almost the entire contest as the Cavemen came out with energy and determination. The back-and-forth first quarter ended with American Fork up 11-9 but they jumped ahead 31-17 by the break.
The teams essentially traded baskets through the third quarter, but Lehi wasn’t able to make much progress in reducing the deficit. The Pioneers mounted a furious rally in the final period, when Easton Hawkins got 11 of his 15 points for the night to lead the charge.
He hit a shot from long distance at the buzzer that could have tied the game and forced overtime, but the officials ruled that his foot was on the line, so the Cavemen pocketed the win. Easton also had three boards.
Young continued his excellent play and worked even harder after getting knocked to the floor. He finished with 13 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals. Peyton Hawkins had 10 points with five boards and Shewell had 10 points as well.
“We just can’t get in that deep of a hole on their floor against a well-coached team,” Bromley said. “Their new player made the play of the game with his late three. They’re a different team with him in the lineup.”
American Fork senior guard Bryce Mella, a transfer from Mountain View who sat out 12 games per the new UHSAA transfer policy, scored a game-high 19 points in the contest.
“We can learn so many lessons from this game,” the coach continued. “Our young players need to understand that in this region, you have to come ready every game. I appreciated my coaches being in my ear and helping us to come together against a tough opponent.”
The Pioneers (8-5, 0-1) continue the Region 3 season by welcoming Westlake (10-4, 1-0) on Tuesday (Jan. 14). They will host Skyridge (9-5, 0-1) on Friday (Jan. 17) and visit Lone Peak (8-5, 1-0) on Tuesday (Jan. 21). The girls play at 6 p.m. followed by the boys around 7:30.
