Lehi Sports
Pioneer boys win three tight region contests in a row
The Lehi High School boys basketball team fell by one point to Region 3 leader Westlake but then earned three consecutive league victories by single-digit margins to solidify a second-place spot in the standings.
Jan. 14: Westlake 54, Lehi 53
The Pioneers gave the state-ranked Thunder a scare at home but came up just short against the visitors. They led 29-21 at the break but Westlake rallied in the third quarter to move ahead 44-42 entering the final stanza and held off Lehi down the stretch.
Senior wing Easton Hawkins led the effort with 25 points including four triples and also had three assists. Sophomore wing Ashton Shewell added 16 points with three buckets from beyond the arc plus five rebounds and two blocked shots.
Senior forward Jared Martin collected eight boards along with five points and a block. Sophomore guard Saxon Young had three rebounds, three assists and a block.
Jan. 17: Lehi 69, Skyridge 62
The Pioneers came out swishing at home, building a 21-13margin in the first quarter and surging ahead 44-28 by the break. The Falcons mounted a comeback effort in the final period, but Lehi was able to hold them off.
Easton Hawkins tallied 15 points with six boards and fiveassists. Shewell had 12 points and senior point guard Cole Welch added 11 points, five rebounds and eight assists.
Senior center Drew Durrant had nine points while Martin scored eight with four boards and a block and Young had eight points with three rebounds and three assists.
Jan. 21: Lehi 65, Lone Peak 61
The Pioneers came out hot on the road and jumped out to a 10-4 lead in the first three minutes sparked by three baskets from Easton Hawkins.
Senior forward Peyton Hawkins displayed good exertion on both ends of the floor as well, and the outstanding ball movement helped lift Lehi to a 23-17 lead for the quarter.
The Knights fought back, but the Pioneers were able to handle their pressure defense and punctuated the offense for the period with a pair of dunks by Easton Hawkins, including one off an alley-oop pass by Young.
Young also had a triple and a Euro-step layup in the stanza to help Lehi stay in front 35-31 at the half.
Lone Peak tied the score early in the fourth quarter, and an intense, back-and-forth battle followed. With 2:45 to play, the score was once again tied at 57-all.
Peyton Hawkins got a defensive board on the next play. At the other end, he rebounded the ball and put it back while still in the air to give his team the lead again at the 2:00 mark
Easton Hawkins got the rebound on the subsequent Knight miss and slung it to Shewell streaking down the court for a fast-break layup.
Lone Peak matched that basket, but the margin was still two points with 1:09 to play. Young found Easton Hawkins for a jumper on the next Lehi possession and then the Knights scored again.
At that point Lone Peak was forced to foul and Easton Hawkins hit two free throws with 18 seconds remaining to cement the win for the Pioneers.
Lehi had four players in double figures in a whole-team effort. Easton Hawkins finished with 21 points, three steals and a block and Shewell added 14 points. Peyton Hawkins was a perfect 5-of-5 from short range and 2-of-2 at the line for 12 points andnine boards.
Young played an outstanding floor game and contributed 10 points and eight assists. Durrant added six points and five rebounds and Welch made five assists.
“They have a couple of unique players,” said Coach Reed Bromley. “Drew did a great job on Crew Fotheringham (leading scorer). He still got his points, but Drew played him tough and he had to work for everything he got.
“Taylor didn’t get anything except he hit some threes on us when our subs were not dialed in on him and he got away from us,” the coach continued.
“To their credit, they fought hard and they wouldn’t go away,” Bromley said. “They hurt us on the offensive glass but we got the boards down the stretch we had to have in a hostile environment. It was quite an accomplishment to come in here and get this win.”
Jan. 24: Lehi 74, Pleasant Grove 68
The teams played toe-to-toe for three of the four quarters, but the visiting Pioneers managed a 24-17 scoring edge in the second period which ultimately made the difference in the game.
Shewell shot lights-out, going 7-from-8 (88%) from short range and 4-of-6 (67%) from distance for 27 points. Easton Hawkins scored 21 points including three triples with five boards, five assists and one block.
Peyton Hawkins netted 10 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Young had six points with nine assists and three boards, Martin scored six and Durrant added four points, three rebounds and three assists. Welch had three assists.
“I was really proud of the boys,” Bromley said. “I felt like the story of the game was we were able to make great team and individual plays when it mattered. PG is a real solid team and it took everyone contributing to beat them on their floor.
“Ashton really got involved early with two steals that led to quick layups,” he continued. “All of our starters were doing a good job on their defensive assignments.
“They brought in two players off the bench who brought energy and points,” Bromley said. “They are well coached and they have some swagger in my opinion.
“Everyone was positive in their stats this game,” the coach went on. “Peyton got a huge offensive rebound, scored, and was fouled and made the free throw and that was probably the play of the game.
“Drew executed a play and made a short jumper in the lane on a pass from Easton at another critical moment,” Bromley added.“This win shows how successful we can be when we all work together.”
The Pioneers (3-2, 11-6) will resume Region 3 play on Friday (Jan. 31) as they host American Fork (2-3, 5-13). They will visit Westlake (4-1, 13-5) on Tuesday (Feb. 4) and then go to Skyridge (1-4, 10-8) on Friday (Feb. 7). The girls play at 6 p.m. followed by the boys around 7:30.
