Region 10 boys basketball: Snow Canyon, Pine View pick up road victories; Dixie rallies at home

Written by E. George Goold
February 15, 2023

ST. GEORGE — It was easy to see that the Region 10 boys basketball chase is going down to the wire as local players ratcheted up the intensity in three games Wednesday night.

Snow Canyon and Pine View both went on the road and came back victorious.

Meanwhile, Dixie had to rally for a come-from-behind win in the Hangar against a scrappy Cedar team. The Flyers secured at least a share of the Region 10 championship with the victory.

Here are recaps from Wednesday night’s action on the hardwood.

Snow Canyon 58, Desert Hills 51

The defending 4A state champion Warriors followed their leader against the Thunder.

Owen Mackay poured in a season-high 37 points in the win, sinking three 3-pointers and shooting 6-for-7 from the foul line along the way.

Snow Canyon at Desert Hills in a Region 10 boys basketball game, St. George, Utah, Feb. 15, 2023 | Photo by Aaron Crane, St. George News

Mackay scored 12 of his team’s first 14 points but Desert Hills took a 16-14 lead after the first quarter.

Snow Canyon battled back to take a slim 30-29 lead at halftime. 

Chomp Jones and Eli Allred each splashed a 3-pointer in the third quarter as the home team trailed 44-40 heading into the final session.

Lincoln Holmes netted all of the Thunder’s 11 points in the fourth, but it would not be enough as Mackay scored 10 more points in the frame to secure the win.

Mackay’s 37 and Will Warner’s 16 in the contest accounted for almost the entirety of Snow Canyon’s output.

Luke Hamlin netted three points and Ryder Holt had a bucket in the third for Snow Canyon’s only other points in the game.

Meanwhile Holmes scored 27 to lead the Thunder in defeat, including a 3-pointer and an 8-for-8 performance at the foul line.

Jones sank three 3’s for nine points and Allred contributed eight points for Desert Hills.

Desert Hills completes its region slate Friday, Feb. 17 at home against Pine View at 7 p.m.

Meanwhile, Snow Canyon finishes its season at 16-7, including a 10-2 mark in Region 10 play. The Warriors have a bye Friday night.

If Dixie loses at Crimson Cliffs on Friday, the Flyers and Snow Canyon will share the Region 10 championship with records of 10-2. However, if Dixie beats the Mustangs, the Flyers will be the outright region champs.

Pine View 70, Hurricane 59

The Panthers won their second consecutive game, opening up a huge lead and then surviving a foul-filled final quarter to win in the Tigers Den.

While Snow Canyon’s Owen Mackay was busy across town scoring a season-high 37, Pine View’s Griffen Shepherd took control of stretches of the game in Hurricane and also scored 37 in the Panthers’ win.

Pine View’s Nash Schroeder works against Hurricane in a Region 10 boys basketball game, Hurricane, Utah, Feb. 15, 2023 | Photo by E. George Goold, St. George News

“Last time we played them they kind of got in my head,” Shepherd told St. George News after the game. “So I kind of wanted to put it back at them.”

Pine View started out on fire, taking a 21-9 lead after the first quarter. The Panthers sank five 3-pointers in that run, three from Shepherd and two more from Nash Schroeder.

Hurricane started knocking down some shots and cut its halftime deficit to 33-22.

Tigers sophomore RJ Hurst came off the bench to ignite the home team. Hurst scored seven points in the second quarter and six more in the third, but Hurricane still trailed 55-35 entering the final quarter.

“I think it was just pushing through the fouls, not letting it affect us,” Shepherd said. “Moving the ball and communicating was the key.”

After Shepherd’s 37, Kanyon Dickinson helped the Panthers with 14 points and Schroeder netted 13. Tim Long’s six points rounded out the Pine View attack.

Hurricane was paced by Hurst’s 18 points. Calan Hughes had a big fourth quarter and scored 12 points for the Tigers in the setback. RJ Wright also scored 12 for the home team.

Pine View has momentum on its side as it heads to Desert Hills Friday night at 7 p.m. in its last Region 10 game.

“I think we can get far in the playoffs as long as we keep playing as a team,” Shepherd said. “We beat Desert Hills the first time, so we just have to come out and play our game.”

Hurricane will look for its first region win in its last Region 10 game, Friday night at 7 p.m. at Cedar against the Reds.

Dixie 72, Cedar 66

On senior night at the Hangar, Dixie pulled away at the end to outlast the Cedar Reds 72-66 and claim at least a share of the Region 10 title.

Dixie’s Kyle Lemke makes a slam dunk vs. Cedar, Region 10 boys basketball, St. George, Utah, Feb. 15, 2023 | Photo by Jacqui Knighton, St. George News

Cedar started out strong, doubling the Flyers’ score in the first quarter with an 18-9 lead. The Reds then drained three more 3-pointers at the start of the second quarter to go up 24-9.

Dixie trailed by around 10 for much of the second quarter. Cedar’s Stockton Albrecht scored on a driving layup to put the Reds up 34-24 late in the quarter. Dixie then scored one more inside basket as the Reds took a 34-26 halftime lead.

Dixie chipped away at Cedar’s lead early in the third, with Jordan Roberts converting a three-point play with 5:30 left to cap off a 9-0 run that brought the Flyers within one point, 34-33.

Cedar’s Landon Kreitzer then broke the ice for the Reds with a 15-footer, but Dixie center Kyle Lemke answered with a tip-in. 

With around 3:30 remaining in the third, Dixie’s Breckon Robinson drained a 3-pointer from the corner to give the Flyers their first lead of the game, 40-39.

After the teams traded baskets over their next few possessions, Cedar began to pull away, taking a 50-45 lead on a Kreitzer free throw with 46 seconds left in the third quarter.

On Dixie’s next possession, Roberts fired a long pass that connected underneath with Lemke, who converted the three-point play to bring the Flyers within two points at the end of the third, 50-48.

Both teams continued to battle back and forth throughout the fourth.

Cedar’s Ty Bronson made a free throw with 2:42 left to tie the game 61-61, but Dixie’s Jordan quickly scored the next five points in a row, on two layups and a free throw, to give the Flyers a 66-61 cushion with 1:55 left. 

Dixie claimed at least a share of the Region 10 boys basketball title with its win over Cedar in St. George, Utah on Feb. 15, 2023 | Photo by Jacqui Knighton, St. George News

Cedar wasn’t done yet, however, as Nate Rogers scored inside, after which Bronson drilled a 3 to tie the score once again, 66-66, with 1:08 to play.

After Lemke made a go-ahead shot with 42 seconds left, Cedar called a time out to set up a potentially tying or winning shot.

However, the Reds couldn’t get the ball in bounds after the time out and were forced to foul to stop the clock. Dixie sealed the win by converting 4-of-4 free throws in the final half minute of the game.

Lemke finished with a game-high 24 points for Dixie, while Roberts added 17 and John Southwick made 11. 

For the Reds, Kreitzer scored 15 points, with Boston Garrett adding 14 and Bronson making 12. Cedar made a total of 11 3-pointers, including seven in the first half.

Dixie improved to 19-3 overall, 10-1 in Region 10 play with one game remaining, on Friday night at Crimson Cliffs. Cedar, which fell to 7-13 overall, 2-9 in region, will host the Hurricane Tigers for their regular season finale on Friday at 7 p.m.

— written by Jeff Richards

Region 10 boys basketball standings, as of Feb. 16:
  1. Dixie 10-1 (19-3)
  2. Snow Canyon 10-2 (16-7)
  3. Crimson Cliffs 7-4 (13-7)
  4. Desert Hills 5-6 (12-9)
  5. Pine View 5-6 (6-14)
  6. Cedar 2-9 (7-13)
  7. Hurricane 0-11 (2-18)

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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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