Two dominant guards in Coleman Atwater and Bryce Mella are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Davis Darts will welcome the American Fork Cavemen at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Davis knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with 55 points or more in their past eight games -- so hopefully American Fork likes a good challenge.
Davis is returning to their home court after beating Weber on theirs, despite the fact Weber has dominated at home this season. Davis managed a 66-61 win over Weber on Friday. Given the Darts' advantage in MaxPreps' Utah basketball rankings (they are ranked sixth, while the Warriors are ranked 40th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Coleman Atwater
| 02/14/25 @ Weber | 23 |
| 02/11/25 @ Farmington | 31 |
| 02/07/25 vs Syracuse | 26 |
| 02/04/25 vs Layton | 24 |
| 01/31/25 @ Fremont | 17 |
| + 6 more games |
It was another big night for Atwater, who went 9-for-19 on his way to 23 points and five rebounds. His evening made it 11 games in a row in which he has scored at least 15 points. Another player making a difference was Tradon Bessinger, who almost dropped a double-double with 13 points and nine boards.
Davis smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with ten offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least ten offensive boards in three consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, it can be hard to translate regular season success to the playoffs, but American Fork had no problem doing just that on Wednesday. They came out on top against the Silverwolves by a score of 59-50. The victory continues a trend for the Cavemen in their matchups with the Silverwolves: they've now won eight in a row.
Davis better keep an eye on Mella. He was instrumental in American Fork's win, going 6-for-11 en route to 18 points and six rebounds. Jax Clark was another key player, going 5-for-9 to rack up 15 points and six boards.
Davis is on a roll lately: they've won 13 of their last 14 contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 20-3 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 68.5 points over those games. American Fork's win bumped their record up to 8-16.
Friday's game is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: Davis has been dynamite from deep this season, having made 37.4% of their threes per game. However, it's not like American Fork struggles in that department as they've made 35.3% of their three-pointers this season. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Everything went Davis' way against American Fork in their previous meeting back in December of 2021, as Davis made off with a 59-36 victory. Will Davis repeat their success, or does American Fork have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
