Lehi Sports
Falcon boys hoops has worked hard to prepare for the campaign
Beky Beaton / Lehi Free Press
The Skyridge High School boys basketball team returns multiple starters from last year and will be bolstered this season by a collection of multi-sport athletes who are used to success. As a group, the team has made a lot of progress during the off-season.
The top returning scorer from last year is senior 6-foot-2 guard Joel Gardner, whose same-named grandfather is also an assistant coach for the team this season. He averaged 10.1 points and 2.9 assists per contest, sank 39 treys and made 24 steals despite struggling through some in-season injuries.
“We will continue to rely on Joel to play both guard positions and to be an all-around player for us on both ends of the court,” said Coach Jeff Gardner.
“He has gotten bigger and stronger and is scoring at the rim a lot better than a year ago. He continues to shoot the ball well and set up his teammates with his court vision,” the coach added.
Senior 6-3 wing Zach Gagon “is our best defender and has continued to improve his offensive abilities,” Coach Gardner said. “He can score at all three levels and he does all the little things on the court. He is a great rebounder and passer and also a great leader.”
The team’s experienced interior threat comes in the form of senior 6-5 forward Ryder Gentry. “Ryder is a very difficult guy to guard because he can go inside and outside both,” the coach said.
“He is a really good shooter and finisher at the rim. He continues to be a great offside help defender. In our offense he has the ball a lot and is great at getting other players open shots,” Gardner said.
Another returning contributor is senior 6-4 wing Carson Mosteller, who averaged 7.6 points and 2.3 rebounds per game with 40 triples last year.
“We will rely on him to score for us this season,” the coach said. “He is a tremendous shooter and has gotten better at getting the ball to the rim. He continues to improve on defense and rebounding, which is really important for us.”
Add in the sheer athleticism of 6-2 guard Hunter Sheffield. “Hunter is a good shooter and continues to be one of our most tough and physical defenders. He has gotten better taking the ball to the basket and putting pressure on the defense,” Gardner said.
Sophomore 5-11 guard Koa Wallwork brings determination as part of his skill set. “Koa got some varsity experience as a freshman and looks forward to building on that momentum from last year,” the coach said. “He has great vision as a point guard and plays really hard and smart.”
Rounding out the group to watch for is senior 6-4 forward Ripken Roberts. “Rip has played great basketball and is going to be a strong contributor for us,” Gardner said. “He is a great athlete and a team player. He is a good 3-point shooter and is physical on defense and rebounding.”
The coach is excited about the schedule this year. “We are playing in two tournaments, the Falcon Classic and the Mission Prep Holiday Classic in San Luis Obispo, California,” he said. “We play just eight region games this year and have eight other non-region games.
“We like our chances in a very deep and good 6A group,” Gardner said. “We feel like we have done the work to prepare ourselves to be competitive this season. Region 3 is going to be really good, and we are going to have to play good basketball in all eight games.”
Skyridge hosts Stansbury to open the season on Wednesday (Nov. 26) for an early 4 p.m. start. Next week the Falcons are set to visit Riverton on Tuesday (Dec. 2) at 7 p.m. They will then play Timpview at Corner Canyon on Saturday (Dec. 6) at 5:20 p.m.
