ST. GEORGE – It’s OK if folks call the Dixie Flyers a work in progress. In fact, that’s the point.
“We’re playing a lot of bodies and still just getting a feel for each other,” said Dixie coach Ryan Cuff, after his team dropped a heartbreaking 44-42 decision to the Logan Grizzlies. “I firmly believe the four games we have played have prepared us well for region play. We’re still looking for that unity, that team concept, but we’re getting there.”
So Dixie dropped another game, but the Flyers played hearty basketball, scrapping against a Logan team that was perfectly happy to slow things down on every possession.
“We followed the game plan today and I am happy about that,” Cuff said. “No one wants to lose, but I think we showed that we can slow things down as well and be patient. We shot a lot of bad shots last night. Today was better.”
Dixie trailed by as many as seven points in the second half, but Dakota Bair led the Flyers in an inspiring comeback. Dixie trailed 34-28 with seven minutes to play. Bair’s slashing style led him to four baskets over the next few minutes and Dixie was able to tie the game at 38-38 with 3:35 to play.
Logan responded with back-to-back baskets by Jordan Larson and taylor Compton to push the lead to four at 42-38 with 2:35 to go.
Blake Barney caught the Grizzlies napping after Compton’s bucket and laid in a fast break field goal to make it 42-40 with 2:25 left. Tyler Brimhall hit a runner for Logan to make it 44-40 25 seconds later.
With under a minute left, sophomore Cole Critchfield’s inside bucket cut it to 44-42. Dixie got the ball back after a missed one-and-one free throw and worked for a final shot. Bair got a good look, but his runner from about six feet out at the buzzer rolled off the rim, clinching the win for Logan.
“These guys played hard and didn’t give up,” Cuff said. “We’ll definitely have to narrow down our rotation as we get to region, but I’ve seen some good things from a lot of people.”
Bair led Dixie with 13 points and Kyler Smith (11) and Kyle Hanson (10) also reached double-figures.
Logan, 3-2, led by 10 in the first half and held a comfortable lead into the fourth quarter before the Flyers’ run. Brimhall led the Grizz with 13 points.
Dixie opens region play with a game at Hurricane next Wednesday night.
Springville 63, Desert Hills 50
The Red Devils became the unofficial champion of the Ken Robinson Classic by beating both Dixie and Desert Hills.
It was a great shooting night for Springville, which made 5 of 9 3-pointers (56 percent) and 18 of 22 free throws (82 percent).
“They shot the ball really well,” Desert Hills coach Wade Turley said. “That’s a well-coached and well-organized team with a lot of talent.”
A bad first quarter doomed the Thunder to a game of catch-up. The Devils outscored DH 17-7 in the first stanza.
“Maybe that’s our youth and inexperience showing,” Turley said. “It’s good that the kids recognized the problem. We need to address that. We can’t keep starting games slowly. We may change up our pregame routine or even do something with the line-up.”
Little point guard Spencer Frixione was the star for Springville, scoring 20 points and dishing out a half-dozen assists. The Red Devils, 4-0, held off Desert Hills by making 11 of 12 free throws in the fourth quarter.
The Thunder, who got within eight a couple of times in the fourth quarter but could get no closer, fell to 3-1. Ty Rutledge led the team with 15 points. Jordan Hokanson had nine and Josh Anderson added eight.
Desert Hills plays host to Cedar Wednesday to open region play.
Boxscore: dhspr12
Pine View 64, Tuba City (Ariz.) 58
The Panthers won two of three games at the NGS Tournament in Page, Ariz.
Saturday’s win over Tuba City featured a huge game from two guys – Dallin Milne and Kody Wilstead. Milne continued to tear up the court, scoring 23 points and making a pair of 3-pointers. Wilstead, a 6-foot-6 sophomore, scored 14 points and grabbed 21 rebounds.
Pine View, 3-1, is averaging nearly 70 points a game. Wilstead also blocked a shot and three assists, while Milne made 7 of 9 from the floor and duplicated that number from the line.
The Panthers owned the glass with a 44-17 advantage. Pine View plays next at Enterprise on Wednesday.
Boxscore: pvtub12
Jordan 85, Snow Canyon 66
The Beetdiggers went crazy offensively, scoring 58 points in the middle two quarters. Nate Gottfredson had 14 points to lead Snow Canyon and Brendan Truman made three 3-pointers.
The Warriors, 1-2, play at home against Canyon View next Wednesday to start their Region 9 competition.
Hurricane 53, Parowan 30
The Tigers walked away with an easy win behind 12 points from Garrett Cahoon. Hurricane, 1-2, held the Ramso 22 percent shooting (9-41) from the floor. The Tigers host Dixie next Wednesday.
Canyon View 59, St. Aloysius (Nev.) 51
Chad Corry hit seven treys and Nate Jarvis had 11 points as the Falcons improved to 4-4.
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @oldschoolag
Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2012, all rights reserved.