ST. GEORGE — From an all-Region 9 blowout to three down-to-the-wire outcomes, Friday’s second round of the boys 4A state basketball tournament lived up to its billing.

And two Southern Utah teams are still dancing.

No. 2 seed Dixie, by way of its 73-39 dismantling of No. 15 Desert Hills, advanced to the quarterfinals.

The Flyers will face a familiar opponent in No. 7 Snow Canyon after the Warriors outlasted No. 10 Mountain View 63-61 behind 45 points from Owen Mackay.

Meanwhile, up north, the season ended for both No. 13 Crimson Cliffs and No. 12 Pine View, but not before both teams had late fourth-quarter leads against the higher seeds.

In the end, No. 4 Green Canyon outscored the Mustangs 10-6 in overtime to win 74-70, and No. 5 Ridgeline overcame a late Panther 2-point edge and prevailed in overtime 82-75.

Click here to view the 4A boys state basketball bracket.

Dixie 73, Desert Hills 39

The Flyers began their run to the 4A state championship with a resounding playoff win over their crosstown rivals.

Breckon Robinson and Logan Wideauer hit from 3-point land early and often as the Flyers flew to a 22-6 lead after one quarter of play.

After a perfectly executed buzzer-beater to end the first half Dixie was in complete control 47-17 at the midway point of the contest.

Robinson and Wideauer threw in a combined seven 3-balls in the first half alone.

Robinson told St. George News after the game that if teams key on defending Dixie’s superstar Kyle Lemke, then opportunities will open up for him and Wideauer.

“One hundred percent,” Robinson said. “If they key on him (Lemke), we’re more open for 3’s. And then when we’re shooting 3’s, that opens things up for him. And Jordan is distributing to all of us so it’s always fun.”

Dixie sank 13 3-pointers overall in the victory. Robinson accounted for seven of them, Wideauer canned four and Roberts tossed in two 3’s as part of his eight-point night.

Robison finished with a game-high 28 while Wideauer finished right behind with 25 for the winners. Lemke had 10 and two big blocks.

Desert Hills was led by Ben Chase, who made two 3-pointers and finished with 12 in the setback. Chaz Holman scored eight and Eli Allred finished with seven in the setback.

The Thunder’s season ended with a 14-11 record.

Dixie advanced to a highly anticipated 4A quarterfinal matchup against Snow Canyon on Monday, Feb. 26, scheduled for 12:50 p.m. tipoff at Utah Valley University in Orem.

Snow Canyon 63, Mountain View 61

Led by senior Owen Mackay’s 45-point performance, the No. 7 Snow Canyon Warriors outlasted the No. 10 Mountain View Bruins.

Mackay scored the first eight points of the game as the Warriors took an early 8-0 lead.

Late in the first quarter, Snow Canyon held a 17-7 lead but the Bruins closed the stanza with a 5-0 run, hitting a 3 at the buzzer to make it 17-12.

Then, at the end of an evenly played second period, the Bruins sank a 3 from the baseline as time ran out, cutting Snow Canyon’s halftime lead to a single point, 31-30.

Mackay, who had 19 points at halftime, scored 14 of Snow Canyon’s 16 third-quarter points to help the Warriors to a 47-43 advantage.

With approximately 5 minutes left, Mountain View managed to cut the deficit to 49-48. And at the 4-minute mark, Mackay swished another 3 to give the Warriors a four-point lead and a little bit more breathing room.

With 1:20 remaining, Snow Canyon boosted its lead to eight points at 58-50, but Mackay still needed to make a pair of free throws in the final seconds to ice the game, as the Bruins drained yet another 3 at the buzzer to account for the final two-point margin.

“I just started feeling hot in the first half and I figured if we’re gonna win this game, I need to shoot a little bit more than I have in the past,” Mackay told St. George News, adding, “And that’s what I did. I tried to make the right play every time.”

Mackay’s 45 points eclipsed his previous personal best of 38 points, achieved twice this season, including against Mountain View on Dec. 2. It also represents a new Snow Canyon High School record for most points in a single game by a player.

Mackay gave credit to Mountain View’s consistent defensive pressure.

“They played a really strong defense,” he said. “They were good defenders. I just was feeling it.”

Mackay finished the game with 16 made field goals, including five 3-pointers. He also converted 8-of-10 free throws, all of those coming during the second half.

Also scoring in double figures for the Warriors was guard Trey Kelsch, who finished with 10 points.

Meanwhile, Mountain View’s entire scoring load was divided among just three players, namely sophomore Bryce Mella (24 points), senior Conner Fairbanks (22 points) and sophomore Simeon Suguturaga (15 points).

– written by Jeff Richards

Green Canyon 74, Crimson Cliffs 70 OT

Visiting Crimson Cliffs had a four-point lead at 61-57 with 1:32 remaining in the fourth quarter. But No. 4 Green Canyon found a way to tie it up at 64-64 to force the extra session. The No. 13 Mustangs weren’t able to generate much offense in overtime, committing three turnovers while the Wolves sealed the win from the free throw line down the stretch.

Crimson Cliffs center Sean Felts scored a game-high 25 points including one 3-pointer.

“That’s a great team,” Green Canyon coach Logan Brown said afterward. “And the Felts kid is tough. We didn’t really have an answer for him.”

The Mustangs’ offense was clicking early en route to a 20-13 first-quarter lead. But Green Canyon made a defensive adjustment in the second quarter, applying pressure in the front court, forcing several turnovers and also blocking two shots.

And on the offensive end, the Wolves got hot from outside, drilling five 3-pointers and taking a 32-28 halftime lead. Jackson Drysdale did most of the damage for Green Canyon, hitting a trio or treys and dishing out two assists. He ended with 18 points and drained four from downtown.

Felts’ post play kept Crimson Cliffs in the game in the third quarter. He scored seven straight points, first beating a double-team for a baby hook, then hitting two free throws, and finally draining a 3-pointer off an offensive rebound. 

But the Wolves withstood the Mustangs’ charge, playing the Region 9 upstarts even and leading 50-46 with a quarter remaining. 

The difference was cut to one when McKay Lindquist, who scored nine points, netted a traditional 3-point play to make it 59-57 at the 3:27 mark.

Luke Johnson, who totaled 18 points for Crimson, made it 63-59 with 1:44 remaining after a Lindquist steal on the previous Green Canyon possession. The Wolves then missed two 3-pointers but made two offensive rebounds, and Jackson Drysdale hit a bucket-and-one to close the gap to 63-62 with 59.2 left on the clock.

Green Canyon applied a full-court press on the inbounds, forcing the Mustangs to call for time. After Crimson moved the ball upcourt, Felts was fouled making an offensive rebound. He hit one of two foul shots to make it 64-62 with 26.2 seconds to go.

The Wolves didn’t hesitate and moved the ball into the half-court and worked the ball down low to Gavin Crane, who hit a layup with 9 seconds left to make it 64-64. Crane had 21 on the night.

Johnson’s 3-pointer at the buzzer rimmed out, forcing overtime, which Green Canyon controlled, hitting four of six free throws to advance to the quarterfinals.

Crimson Cliffs finished the season 13-11 overall.

– Written by Vin Cappiello

Ridgeline 82, Pine View 75, OT

A furious second-half Panther rally forced the extra session but the Riverhawks outscored Pine View 13-6 in OT and closed out a thrilling game in Millville.

The visitors fell in an early hole after Ridgeline jumped to a 15-5 lead after the first quarter. The Riverhawks upped that advantage to 34-24 at halftime.

The Panthers made adjustments, then trimmed two off their deficit and won a high-scoring third frame 26-24.

Then Pine View forced the OT after winning the fourth 19-11.

It was a gutsy performance from the Panthers, who got inspired games from their senior duo. 

Nash Schroeder poured in a game-high 33 points. He scored five 3-pointers, one of which tied the game and forced overtime. Griffen Shepherd chimed in with 21 points for Pine View, hitting four 3’s.

Adam Moore made three 3’s for nine points, Trevor Condie had eight and Caleb Schmitt rounded out Pine View’s attack with four points.

But it would not be enough to top Ridgeline, who got 28 points from Carson Cox and 23 from Jagger Francom to avoid the upset.

Ridgeline advanced to the quarterfinals and will meet fellow Region 11 opponent Green Canyon on Monday at UVU in Orem.

Pine View heads home and ends the season at 15-10.

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