High school basketball: Cedar Reds split doubleheader with hometown rival Canyon View

Written by Jeff Richards
December 22, 2022

CEDAR CITY— Cedar and Canyon View high schools split their varsity basketball doubleheader Tuesday night, with the Falcons winning the girls matchup and the Reds winning the boys game that followed.

The contests attracted a near-capacity crowd to Cedar High School’s gymnasium as the crosstown rivals battled it out on the court for bragging rights. Following are recaps of both games:

Girls

Canyon View 40, Cedar 39 

Cedar jumped out to an early lead, outscoring Canyon View 11-4 during the first quarter. Guards Gabby Gomez and Kasia Davis accounted for all 11 of Cedar’s points, with Gomez scoring 6 on a pair of 3-pointers and Davis adding a trey and a 2-point basket.

Cedar vs. Canyon View, high school girls basketball, Cedar City, Utah, Dec. 20, 2022 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

The Falcons then rallied to outscore Cedar 10-7 during the second quarter, holding the Reds to a single field goal during that span. Canyon View sophomore Maylee Spencer, who went on to finish with a game-high 18 points, scored 8 of those during the second quarter as the Falcons narrowed their deficit to four points at intermission, 18-14.

The Falcons then pulled even with the Reds during the third period, making five field goals to Cedar’s two as the teams entered the fourth quarter tied 24-24.

The game stayed close down the stretch, but Canyon View’s Bethany Vargas made one of two free throws with 23 seconds left to give the Falcons a four-point cushion, 40-36.

Cedar center Kiara Hansen made a 3-pointer with 1.5 seconds remaining to account for the final margin. Hansen finished with a team-high 13 points, while Gomez finished with 11.

The Falcons were led by Spencer’s 18 points, with Brooklyn Davie adding 8, all in the second half.

Both teams struggled from the free throw line, with Cedar converting 13-of-22 and Canyon View making just 5-of-16 foul shots.

Canyon View, which improved to 6-3 in preseason play, will next host three games on successive days next week as part of the annual Steve Hodson Cancer Classic invitational tournament. The host team Falcons are scheduled to face Stansbury at 8:30 p.m. on Dec. 28, South Sevier at 5 p.m. on Dec. 29 and Providence Hall at 5 p.m. on Dec. 30.

Meanwhile, Cedar, which remains winless after eight preseason games, next plays on Jan. 3 when the Reds host Desert Hills to open their Region 10 schedule.

Boys

Cedar 64, Canyon View 54

After trading baskets with Canyon View for the first few minutes of the game, Cedar made a run that turned an 8-8 tie into a 21-12 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Cedar vs. Canyon View, high school boys basketball, Cedar City, Utah, Dec. 20, 2022 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

The Reds were able to keep the lead for the remainder of the game, although the Falcons did rally to within striking distance a few times. Canyon View’s Trenton Ludlow drained a 3-pointer at the buzzer to end the third quarter, bringing the Falcons within five points, 47-42. 

However, Cedar pulled away again, outscoring Canyon View 17-12 over the final eight minutes to secure the 10-point victory.

Nate Rogers and Boston Garrett led Cedar’s balanced scoring attack with 16 points apiece, while Ty Bronson added 14 and Landon Kreitzer made 9.

Ludlow, who finished with 14 points, was the only Canyon View player to score in double figures. Andrew Barnes added 9 and fellow starting guard Chad Hartmann scored 8 for the Falcons; they combined to make 11-of-12 free throws between them.

Tyler Monks, Cedar’s new head coach, said his team wanted to come out as the aggressors right from the beginning. The Reds set the tone with three early offensive rebounds and a putback basket, he noted.

“We knew we had to battle on the boards,” Monks added. “They’ve got some kids that are long and athletic and rebound hard. We just hit some shots at the end of the first quarter and got a little bit of a run, got some momentum, and we were able to keep it.”

Cedar, which improved to 5-4 in preseason play with the victory, is off for the entire holiday break. The Reds next play at Desert Hills in the Region 10 opener on the evening of Jan. 4.

Canyon View, which dropped to 6-3 in preseason action, has three games scheduled next week during the annual Steve Hodson Cancer Classic invitational tournament. The Falcons, the tournament’s hosts, are scheduled to face San Juan on Dec. 28 at 7 p.m., Millard on Dec. 29 at 6:30 p.m. and Panguitch on Dec. 30 at 8 p.m.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2022, all rights reserved.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jeff Richards, a native of Salt Lake City with family roots in Panguitch, lived in Moab for 20 years before joining St. George News in 2017. Jeff is a longtime journalist and secondary school teacher. He and his wife Penny are the parents of five daughters. They also have three young grandsons. Jeff and his family enjoy swimming, camping, sightseeing, reading, and taking pictures.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @stgnews@moabjeff@stgnewssports

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