Video: Isaac Monson's highlights vs. Cyprus High SchoolSee the Olympus High player in action earlier this season.
SALT LAKE CITY – Olympus (Salt Lake City) has a long history of second-place finishes in state championship games. After a second-quarter dry spell on offense, it appeared that tradition would continue for another year.
The Titans flipped the script in the second half, though. Olympus shot 63 percent from the field after halftime and rallied for a 51-44 victory over
Timpview (Provo) in the UHSAA Class 4A championship game Saturday at the University of Utah.
Olympus (24-3) earned its first state title in boys basketball
"This is the best way I could ever imagine ending my career – winning a state championship," senior guard
Miles Keller said. "It's incredible. It's an awesome feeling."
Keller led the Titans with 16 points.
Isaac Monson added eight points and 15 rebounds for Olympus.
BYU signee
Gavin Baxter scored 18 points and
Levi Wilson added 13 points to lead Timpview. The T-Birds (21-6) led by nine points at halftime after holding Olympus to a single second-quarter basket, but fell short after shooting just 15 percent from the field in the second half.
Timpview struggled to contain Olympus on the perimeter out of the gate. The Titans connected on their first three outside shots. The third of those 3-pointers – from Keller – followed by a layup off a steal from Lindsay, put Olympus up 13-4 halfway through the first quarter.
The Thunderbirds closed the gap near the end of the quarter. A 3-pointer from Baxter just before the buzzer cut the Olympus lead to 16-13. Timpview took its first lead midway through the second quarter, going up 19-18 on another Baxter 3-pointer.
It was part of a 20-2 run for Timpview over the final 11 minutes of the half. Wilson punctuated the lengthy spurt with another buzzer-beating 3-pointer to give the T-Birds a 27-18 halftime lead.
Olympus scored one basket in the second quarter and committed eight turnovers before halftime.
"We just got out of sync a little bit," Titans coach Matt Barnes said. "They got into us and ran us off the line a little bit and then we made some careless decisions."
The Titans didn't panic. Olympus strung together a 13-1 run, capped by back-to-back baskets from Monson, to go back in front. The senior forward tied the game on a layup and then hit a go-ahead 3-pointer to give the Titans a 35-32 lead in the final minute of the third quarter.
After trading baskets with Timpview for much of the fourth quarter, Olympus finally took the lead for good when
Matt Lindsey completed a three-point play to put the Titans up 43-41 with 1:37 remaining.
Baxter missed a tying layup on the other end a few seconds later and Keller made six free throws in the final minute to preserve the win for Olympus.
Bingham (South Jordan) 61, Copper Hills (West Jordan) 44
Yoeli Childs, Bingham
File photo by Dave Argyle
Bingham built a reputation as a formidable second-half team throughout region play and the Class 5A tournament. That ability to finish strong surfaced against Copper Hills in a major way.
The Miners pulled away from the Grizzlies behind an 18-3 third-quarter run for the UHSAA Class 5A championship. Bingham (24-2) earned a state title in boys basketball for the first time since 2006.
Schyler Shoemaker and
Dason Youngblood scored 16 points apiece and BYU signee
Yoeli Childs collected 14 rebounds to lead the Miners.
Preston Sanchez had 12 points and
Charlie Olsen added 10 points for Copper Hills, which lost to Bingham for the third time this season.
This marked the fourth meeting between Bingham and Copper Hills this season. Once again, the outcome proved to be unfavorable for the Grizzlies (22-4) because of an inspired defensive effort from the Miners.
Bingham limited Copper Hills to 36 percent shooting from the field and 33 percent from 3-point range. The Miners led virtually every key statistical category.
"We just always know – one or two stops and we get rolling," Childs said. "Just a couple of breakaway layups and we get the momentum. We're a team that plays with rhythm and it worked out for us."
Copper Hills controlled the glass in the first quarter, gathering offensive rebounds with lightning speed. It helped the Grizzlies jump out to an 8-2 lead behind a pair of baskets apiece from Sanchez and Olsen.
Bingham rallied and tied it at 11 after Childs buried a deep 3-pointer to open the second quarter. The Miners finally took their first lead later in the quarter when Childs slammed it home after a Grizzlies turnover to put Bingham up 17-15.
The Grizzlies edged back in front when Olsen drained a mid-range jumper in the final minute of the quarter to give Copper Hills a 24-23 halftime lead.
Bingham took control in the third quarter behind a 18-3 run. Shoemaker drained a corner 3-pointer to beat the buzzer and cap the run, putting the Miners up 43-30 going into the fourth quarter. It ended up being too much for Copper Hills to overcome.
Shoemaker provided a big spark after halftime, scoring 10 of his 16 points in the third quarter alone.
"He's exactly what we need him to be," Bingham coach Jake Schroeder said. "He defends. He rebounds. He scores around the basket. He's a great leader."
John Coon covers Utah high school sports for MaxPreps. You can contact him at john_coon@hotmail.com and follow him on Twitter at @johncoonsports
