ST. GEORGE — The 4A boys state basketball tournament brackets were released by the Utah High School Activities Association on Saturday morning and most Region 9 teams will be playing familiar foes.
A theme in the state playoffs is emerging since 4A was expanded from 13 to 27 teams this year. Especially in football and now again in basketball, early-round playoff pairings are often region re-matches.
“It would be more fun to play different teams,” Dixie head coach Tyler Roberts told St. George News after the brackets came out. “But at the end of the day, it’s the best team that plays the best that night. I really like the bracket.”
Dixie went unbeaten in Region 9 and finished 21-3 overall, earning the No. 2 seed in the tournament.
Layton Christian Academy, which Dixie beat in the state semifinal round last season, is the No. 1 seed this year.
Dixie’s trajectory to the semifinal round this year opens with possible region rematches. After a first round bye, the Flyers will host the winner of No. 15 Desert Hills versus No. 18 Jordan.
Then the Flyers face a potential quarterfinal matchup against No. 7 seed Snow Canyon. The Warriors (15-7, 9-3) finished second in Region 9 and earned a bye in the first round.
Snow Canyon opens the playoffs against the winner of No. 10 Mountain View and No. 22 Cedar.
So potentially Dixie will face Desert Hills and Snow Canyon, teams they’ve beaten a combined four times already this year, on the way to the semifinals.
“I texted the brackets to the boys, and they all agreed that it’s ours to win,” Roberts said. “Just trying to be positive and stay focused one game at a time.”
After finishing as state runner-up the past two seasons, Dixie’s players are relishing their Region 9 title and are trying to have fun during the playoffs.
“We’re just trying to soak in this week and a half,” Roberts said. “At the end of the day you can’t control winning a state championship. We just got to continue to enjoy that journey and soak in every opportunity to be together.”
Crimson Cliffs and Pine View ended up in the same quadrant of the 4A playoff brackets.
The Mustangs earned the No. 13 seed and host No. 20 Hillcrest on Wednesday, Feb. 21 at 6 p.m. On the same date and time, No. 12 Pine View hosts No. 21 Uintah.
The winners of those contests face No. 4 Green Canyon and No. 5 Ridgeline, respectively, in second round action.
The seventh Region 9 team, Hurricane, earned the No. 22 seed and is at No. 11 Bear River in the first round.
Go here to view the complete 4A boys bracket.
The final rounds of the 4A boys state tournament will be played at Utah Valley University in Orem Feb. 26-28.
4A girls state tournament bracket
Snow Canyon’s girls team finished 21-1 and won Region 9 undefeated for the second consecutive season.
The Warriors earned the No. 2 seed at state and open the playoffs at home against the winner of No. 15 Mountain View and No. 18 Bear River.
Cedar (17-5, 9-3) earned the No. 3 seed at state and also has a first-round bye. The Reds will start the playoffs at home in the second round against the winner of No. 14 Provo versus No. 19 Pine View.
No. 13 Desert Hills opens the tournament Tuesday, Feb. 20 at home against No. 20 Uintah.
The remaining three Region 9 teams are all in the same quadrant of the playoff brackets.
Hurricane (13-9, 6-6) earned the No. 8 seed and has a bye in the first round.
No. 9 Dixie takes on No. 24 Park City in the Hangar on Tuesday, Feb. 20 at 7 p.m. If the Flyers win, they will go to Hurricane in the second round.
Crimson Cliffs is the No. 17 seed and faces No. 16 Tooele on the road in the first round. If they win, the Mustangs will face overall No. 1 seed and defending 4A state champion Ridgeline.
Go here to view the complete 4A girls bracket.
The final rounds of the 4A girls state tournament will be played at Utah Valley University in Orem Feb. 26-28.
Follow St. George News and The Fan Sports Network for complete coverage of the 4A boys and girls state basketball tournament.
Local 4A state tournament games, Tuesday, Feb. 20 (girls):
- Uintah at Desert Hills, 6 p.m.
- Park City at Dixie, 7 p.m.
Local 4A state tournament games, Wednesday, Feb. 21 (boys):
- Hillcrest at Crimson Cliffs, 6 p.m.
- Uintah at Pine View, 6 p.m.
- Jordan at Desert Hills, 6 p.m.
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