Lehi Sports
Pioneer boys bury Weber Warriors, advance to quarterfinals
The No. 8 Lehi High School boys basketball team hosted No. 9 Weber in the second round of the 6A state tournament on Friday (Feb. 21) and suffocated the Warriors for a runaway victory.
The Pioneers (14-9) move on to the quarterfinals at the University of Utah’s Huntsman Center on Monday (Feb. 24), where they will face No. 1 Herriman (22-2) at 11:10 a.m.
Feb. 21: Lehi 73, Weber 48
The Warriors scored the first basket of the game, but the Pioneers answered with triples from sophomore wing Ashton Shewell and senior guard Cole Welch.
Soon thereafter, senior wing Easton Hawkins got an offensive rebound and made a circus shot with contact. He finished the play with a free throw to give Lehi a 9-5 start just 2:11 into the quarter.
Weber continued to scrap and would work back to ties after falling behind and briefly held the lead again with two minutes left, but the period ended with the Pioneers in front 20-18.
Lehi took control for good with an 11-2 run to open the second quarter. The Pioneers worked hard on both ends of the floor, causing turnovers with tight defense and collecting 13 steals on the night while executing their offense with head-whipping speed.
The lead was 39-24 at the half and 61-40 entering the final period.
It was a physical game throughout and got a little chippy towards the end. Both teams missed shots they would normally make partly because of the frantic pace, but Weber never quit and Lehi never let up until the Pioneers had sewn up the 25-point win.
Hawkins and Shewell each netted 19 points. Shewell had three triples and made three assists, while Hawkins had three assists and three steals.
Sophomore guard Saxon Young had an outstanding floor game with 13 points, seven assists and six steals. Senior center Drew Durrant added nine points with multiple rebounds and two steals. Senior forwards Jared Martin (5 points) and Peyton Hawkins (4 points) worked hard on the glass as well.
“That’s a good team,” said Coach Reed Bromley. “They played Davis close both times and they showed a lot of heart. They’re a gutty team and well coached. We left a lot of points on the floor and we’ve got to get better there but the guys executed the game plan.
“Jared made a lot of contributions off the bench and so did Saxon,” he continued. “He and Cole both managed the floor well when it was hard for them to get to where they were used to because of what Weber was doing.”
Bromley said the team is excited for the challenge ahead of them as they head to the college venue.
“This will be a new experience for a lot of them and for me as a head coach,” he said. “However, they’re part of a team and a culture that’s been there before and they’ll be ready to go. The lights won’t be too bright for them.
“We know Herriman is a great team,” the coach added. “They have good players and they are well coached. We’ll try to focus on what we can control and see what happens.”
