The Salem Hills Skyhawks pushed their score all the way to 58 on Friday, but even that wasn't enough to win. They took a 69-58 hit to the loss column at the hands of Cedar Valley. Salem Hills was down 52-32 at the end of the third quarter, which was just too much to recover from.
When it comes to explaining why Salem Hills lost, one person who can't be blamed is Chase Degraffenried. Despite the final result, he scored 30 points along with five rebounds and two steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Aaron Hable, who scored six points along with 12 rebounds and three steals.
Even though they lost, Salem Hills smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 15 offensive rebounds. That's the most offensive rebounds they've managed all season.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Cedar Valley to victory, but perhaps none more so than Owen Bawden, who scored 14 points along with six rebounds and two blocks. Bawden hasn't dropped below two blocks for seven straight games. Another player making a difference was Obed Borruel, who scored six points along with five assists and five rebounds.
Salem Hills' loss was their fourth straight on the road, which dropped their record down to 6-9. As for Cedar Valley, the victory (which was their fourth in a row) raised their record to 9-6.
Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Salem Hills will square off against Springville at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The matchup should be an exciting one, as these teams are ranked near one another in Utah (Springville is ranked 43rd, while Salem Hills is ranked 63rd). As for Cedar Valley, they will head out on the road to take on Orem at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Averaging 62.3 so far this season, Orem's high-powered offense has been in full-swing lately, so Cedar Valley better be ready for a challenge.
