Region 10 boys basketball: Thunder, Warriors, Flyers all start with home victories

Written by E. George Goold
January 5, 2023

ST. GEORGE — Local boys basketball teams began the gauntlet of the Region 10 schedule Wednesday night in three games around St. George.

The home team emerged victorious in each as Desert Hills gutted out a five-point victory, Snow Canyon took care of business and Dixie flew to a big win in the Hangar.

Following are recaps of Wednesday night’s action on the high school hardwood.

Desert Hills 54, Cedar 49

Cedar’s Nathan Rogers passes against Desert Hills in a Region 10 boys basketball game, St. George, Utah, Jan. 4, 2023 | Photo by E. George Goold, St. George News

The Thunder (8-3 overall, 1-0 Region 10) took a lead and nursed it through three quarters, then held on in a low-scoring fourth frame to defeat a scrappy Reds team.

Boston Holbrook sank two buckets and a 3-pointer in the first quarter as the Thunder opened a 17-12 lead.

Eli Allred canned three shots in the second quarter and the home team led 35-23 at halftime.

But the gritty team from Cedar (5-5, 0-1) rallied to win the third and fourth quarters before going cold down the stretch.

“Well, it wasn’t pretty,” Desert Hills head coach Chris Allred told St. George News. “A lot of that is credit to Cedar, they did some good things against us. Honestly, they outhustled us on the boards. They had way too many offensive rebounds.”

Landon Kreitzer scored a 3-ball and a bucket and Nathan Rogers sank two shots from the field to key the Reds in the third quarter, which they won 15-10 and got back into the game.

Then Cedar closed to 52-49 with 1:45 remaining. Despite multiple offensive possessions, the Reds couldn’t score again before Holbrook’s breakaway layup sealed the deal for the Thunder.

“The positive is we can learn some important things from a win, which is always more enjoyable than learning lessons in a loss,” Allred said. “We’ve got to get more solid defensively. We’ve got to make some better decisions and execute better offensively.”

Eli Allred led the winning effort with 16 points for the Thunder. Holbrook finished with 11 points and Lincoln Holmes chipped in with 10 points for the victors.

Kreitzer led all scorers with 20 points for Cedar. Rogers finished with nine points for the Reds and Stockton Albrecht and Kanden Coronado threw in six points apiece in the defeat.

Cedar comes back to town Friday, Jan. 6, for a 7 p.m. game at Crimson Cliffs while Desert Hills hosts Hurricane, also Friday, Jan. 6, at 7 p.m.

Snow Canyon 60, Crimson Cliffs 49

Snow Canyon’s Owen Mackay splits two Crimson Cliffs players in a Region 10 boys basketball game, St. George, Utah, Jan. 4, 2023 | Photo by E. George Goold, St. George News

The defending 4A state champion Warriors (8-5, 1-1) showed why they’re still the top dogs in a hard-fought 11-point home win over the Mustangs (6-4, 0-1).

Superstars Owen Mackay for Snow Canyon and Jordan Eaton for Crimson Cliffs often guarded each other one-on-one in the physical, defensive-minded contest.

A high-energy first half saw the teams trade baskets for much of the way in the evenly matched contest.

Eaton’s bucket at the buzzer gave the visitors a 12-11 first-quarter lead.

Mackay answered with a trey at the buzzer and Snow Canyon regained the lead 26-22 at halftime.

The Warriors made some defensive adjustments at the break and clamped down in the third quarter, outscoring the Mustangs 20-8 to take a commanding 46-30 lead into the final session.

Crimson rallied in the fourth but the hole was too deep to climb out of and Snow Canyon secured the victory.

Mackay tied for the team-high in scoring with 17 points. Will Warner also netted 17 and three Warriors – Bear Leavitt, Luke Hamlin, Cy Meacham – scored seven points apiece for the winners.

Eaton’s 17 points were a team-high for the Mustangs, while Jace Sweeten and Steele Barben tallied seven points apiece and Luke Johnson scored six for Crimson in the setback.

Crimson Cliffs hosts Cedar, and Snow Canyon is at Pine View (1-7, 0-0) in 7 p.m. contests Friday, Jan. 6.

Dixie 71, Hurricane 38

Dixie’s Kyle Lemke soars for a dunk against Hurricane in a Region 10 boys basketball game, St. George, Utah, Jan. 4, 2023 | Photo by Jacqui Knighton, St. George News

The red hot Flyers (11-2, 2-0) caged the Tigers, holding Hurricane (2-8, 0-1) to five points in the fourth quarter and soaring to an emphatic victory.

Kyle Lemke kept a hot hand, scorching Hurricane for a game-high 24 points. Breckon Robinson threw in 16 for the winners including four 3-pointers.

Dixie launched to a 20-9 lead after the first quarter, never looking back and taking a 39-23 advantage into halftime.

Jordan Roberts scored six points and dispensed 10 assists in the win while seven different Flyers scored at least three points in the big victory.

Hurricane scoring stats were not available. The Tigers next play at home Friday, Jan. 13, at 7 p.m. against Crimson Cliffs.

Dixie next plays Wednesday, Jan. 11, at 7 p.m. at Pine View. The Flyers currently sit in first place of Region 10 by way of their wins against Hurricane and Layton Christian Academy.

The Flyers were 4A state runner-up to Snow Canyon last year. Their only blemishes this season came in defeats against Farmington and Real Salt Lake.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2023, all rights reserved.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Eric George Goold came to St. George News from southwestern Colorado, where he was a radio news reporter. He has been a journalist for over 20 years in five different states. He graduated with a master's degree in English from Kansas State University and writes nonfiction as well. Goold has been published in Sunstone Magazine and has done multiple public readings about local history. When he has free time, he enjoys chess, movies and dogs.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @STGnews

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