Lehi Sports
Falcon boys come in fifth at Cali hoops tourney
Beky Beaton / Lehi Free Press
The Skyridge High School boys basketball team earned a 3-1 record and finished fifth in the Gold Bracket at the Mission Prep Christmas Classic Tournament on Tuesday (Dec. 23), bringing the team’s overall record to 7-3.
“We had a great week at the Mission Prep Christmas Classic,” said Coach Jeff Gardner. “I was really proud of how our kids competed against some really good teams.”
Dec. 19: Skyridge 78, Lincoln (Tacoma WA) 70
The Falcons prevailed in an up-tempo, close contest with the Abes out of Washington in a warm-up game prior to beginning pool play. The team hit 11 treys, made nine steals and showcased excellent ball movement with 26 assists
“We opened with a big win over Lincoln,” Gardner said. “Ryder Gentry (Sr. F) was exceptional on both ends of the floor. He finished really well and played a great floor game. He ended up with 24 points, seven rebounds and six assists.
“Carson Mosteller (Sr. F) was named Player of the Game and stepped up big for us in the fourth quarter,” the coach continued. Mosteller canned three triples and tallied 11 points, five boards and four assists.
“I loved the way we came out in the first half, scoring 42 points,” Gardner said. “Rip Roberts’ (Sr. F) physicality and play on both ends was big for us. Hunter Sheffield (Sr. W) did a great job on defense in the fourth quarter, helping us hold onto the lead.
“Koa Wallwork (So. G) did a great job in this game and all week in handling pressure at the point guard position,” he added.
Senior guard Joel Gardner netted 20 points with five assists while senior guard Zach Gagon contributed 13 points, three rebounds, four assists and a block. Roberts posted six points, six boards, three assists and a block.
Dec. 20: San Marcos (Santa Barbara CA) 59, Skyridge 58
The Falcons started bracket play with an exciting back-and-forth battle with the Royals. The California team started fast and led 20-12 at the end of the first quarter. The teams dueled even through the second period, so the margin stayed the same going into the break.
It was Skyridge that came out firing in the third quarter, outscoring San Marcos 17-10 in the period to reduce the deficit to a single point entering the final stretch.
“San Marcos was ranked No. 21 in the state and ended up beating us on a last second 3-point shot,” Coach Gardner said. “I was proud of the way our kids competed and battled. Ryder Gentry, Joel Gardner, and Zach Gagon all finished in double figures.”
Gentry led the scoring with 17 points along with five rebounds and four assists. Gagon had a great floor game with 12 points, three boards, four assists and four steals. Joel Gardner collected 10 points, six assists and three steals. Mosteller contributed eight points with three rebounds and a block.
Dec. 22: Skyridge 72, West Ranch (Valencia CA) 32
The Falcons doubled up the Wildcats in the first quarter 18-9 and cruised to the big victory from there, adding to the margin in each subsequent period.
“We had a great bounce-back win against West Ranch,” Coach Gardner said. “We built a big lead and were able to get all 12 players that were on the trip in the scoring column.
“Beck Melling (Sr. G) had six points off the bench and played really good basketball. Koa Wallwork had eight points and did a great job running the point and finding the open shooters. Ryder Gentry was named game MVP.” The team combined for 12 baskets from long distance.
Mosteller finished with 13 points and five rebounds, Gentry added a double-double of 10 points plus 13 boards and Joel Gardner scored eight with four rebounds, three assists and a block.
Dec. 23: Skyridge 55, Mission Hills (San Marcos CA) 41
This was a closer game than the final score makes it look. The Falcons led the Grizzlies most of the way, but the advantage was still just six points entering the last quarter. Skyridge outscored the hosts by eight points down the stretch to pull away for the win and secure fifth place.
“The last game we played was a hard-fought defensive game,” Coach Gardner said. “We did a good job holding them to 41 points.
“Ryder Gentry had 16 points and 16 rebounds, which was the second-most rebounds in school history,” he said. “Joel Gardner was named MVP of the game and we had really good contributions from Hunter Sheffield and Rip Roberts.
“Zach Gagon did a great job shutting down their leading scorer and holding him to four points,” the coach concluded. He also had a good all-around floor game with nine points, five assists, three steals and three blocks. Mosteller posted 18 points with three boards to lead the squad in scoring.
The Falcons will visit Salem Hills on Friday (Jan. 2) for a 7 p.m. contest, then will host Layton on Tuesday (Jan. 6) at 7:30 p.m. following the girls varsity game against the Lancers at 6 p.m.
