ST. GEORGE — Now that the dust has settled from the first two rounds of the 4A state basketball playoffs, here’s a glance at the rest of the dance now that there’s 16 teams left.
Before the playoffs started, the Region 9-winning Dixie boys and Snow Canyon girls each earned the No. 2 seeds in their respective tournaments.
Both lived up to their billing with convincing second-round wins at home, and both head to Monday’s quarterfinal games with a lot of momentum.
They will be joined by four other Region 9 squads (one boys team, three girls teams) in their quest for the 4A state crown.
The boys and girls championship games will be played Wednesday night in the UCCU Center on the campus of UVU in Orem.
Follow St. George News Sports and The Fan Sports Network for complete daily coverage of the 4A state tournament games.
Here is a look at the quarterfinal round of the 4A state basketball tournament, starting Monday morning in Orem.
4A Boys
No. 4 Green Canyon (19-5) v. No. 5 Ridgeline (18-6), 9:30 a.m.: The Region 11 foes both got into this quarterfinal matchup after second-round overtime victories over Region 9 teams.
Gavin Crane led Green Canyon with 21 points to beat Crimson Cliffs while Ridgeline was led by its double-double duo (Carson Cox 28 points, 11 rebounds and Jagger Francom 23 points, 10 rebounds) in their win over Pine View.
Ridgeline won Region 11 with an 8-2 mark and beat Green Canyon both times they played in the regular season, by 14 points on the road and 13 points at home.
No. 1 Layton Christian Academy (23-3) v. No. 8 Murray (18-6), 11:10 a.m.: The top-seeded and high-flying Eagles (23-3) defeated Timpanogos 61-46 in the second-round.
A deep Eagles roster saw 11 different players record at least one point in the win, led by Alan Gballau’s 16 points and 10 points from Albert Phillipe Ntungicimpaye.
Meanwhile Murray (18-6) got into the quarterfinals via its riveting 69-64 double-overtime win over Provo in the second round.
Isaiah Beh led Murray’s effort with 20 points, nine rebounds and five assists.
No. 2 Dixie (22-3) v. No. 7 Snow Canyon (16-7), 12:50 p.m.: The much anticipated Region 9 matchup marks the third meeting between these teams this year.
Dixie handled the Warriors by 16 at home and by 17 in the Jungle in their previous contests.
The Flyers defeated fellow Region 9 team Desert Hills 73-39 in the second round. Breckon Robinson drained seven 3-pointers and scored 28 points to pace the winners.
Jordan Wideauer canned four 3’s and chipped in 25 points for the Flyers. Kyle Lemke had 10 points and nine rebounds while Utah single-season record-holder Jordan Roberts distributed 13 assists for Dixie.
Snow Canyon is in the quarterfinals after a superlative performance by senior leader Owen Mackay in a two-point second-round win at home over Mountain View.
Mackay scored 45 of Snow Canyon’s 63 points in the win, nailing five 3-pointers. He also grabbed six rebounds and finished with two assists and two steals.
Mackay, who signed to play his college ball in St. George at Utah Tech University, will need a similar performance if the Warriors hope to top Dixie.
No. 3 Logan (19-5) v. No. 6 Cottonwood (19-5), 2:30 p.m.: The final boys quarterfinal on Monday is an intriguing matchup pitting what appears to be two nearly identical teams.
Logan routed co-Region 11 challenger Mountain Crest 59-39 to advance out of the second round.
Jordan Child paced the winners with 20 points while three different Grizzlies–Jaylen Argyle, Will Parkinson and Nate De Morgan–sank three 3-pointers as Logan scorched the nets from downtown.
Cottonwood rolled Bear River 65-49 to get to the quarterfinal round. John Rosevear sank four 3-pointers and tallied 17 points for the winners. Chris Cox netted 15 and Peter Oguama scored 11 for the Colts.
4A Girls
Four Region 9 teams will participate in the quarterfinals with one team in each of the four contests on Monday.
No. 3 Cedar (18-5) v. No. 6 Green Canyon (13-9), 4:10 p.m.: Cedar, winners of three in a row and seven of its last eight games, enters the quarterfinals on a hot streak.
Annalyse Shimada posted a double-double (20 points, 10 rebounds) to lead Cedar’s 25-point victory over Provo in the second round.
Kiara Hansen scored 12 points and Mya Bishoff and Kenzie Bird netted eight points apiece in Cedar’s win.
Green Canyon got to the quarterfinal matchup after a 42-point dismantling of Murray in the second round.
Janalynn Blotter led the Wolves with 14 points in that game and Marissa Best recorded a double-double (11 points, 10 rebounds) in the victory.
No. 2 Snow Canyon (22-1) v. No. 7 Sky View (12-9), 5:50 p.m.: Junior Olivia Hamlin led the Warriors to the quarterfinals after a dominant 40-point win over Mountain View in the second round.
Hamlin’s gaudy stat line read 31 points with three 3-pointers, 12 rebounds, five assists and three steals as Snow Canyon never trailed against Mountain View.
Joey Jensen’s 15 points and Kelly Howard’s nine followed Hamlin’s big night as Snow Canyon rolled.
Sky View is in the quarterfinal round via a 44-37 victory over fellow Region 11 team Mountain Crest in the second round.
Claire Fischer scored 10 points and three other Bobcats–Macie Summers, Mya Eskelson and Karlee Allen–each contributed eight points to the win.
No. 1 Ridgeline (22-2) v. No. 9 Dixie (13-12), 7:30 p.m.: The outstanding Emily Skinner leads the Riverhawks as they defend their 4A state crown won last year.
Skinner recorded a triple-double in Ridgeline’s 62-point win over Crimson Cliffs in the second round. The junior scored 27 points with two 3-pointers, grabbed 13 rebounds and dispensed 10 assists in the win.
She also pilfered seven steals and blocked a shot in an overwhelming performance. Elise Livingston and Macie Brown backed up Skinner’s big numbers by scoring 16 points apiece.
Dixie enters the quarterfinal matchup after a second-round upset road win over No. 8 Hurricane. The Flyers trailed the entire game before Kealah Faumuina keyed a 29-7 fourth quarter to beat the Tigers 59-46.
Faumuina scored a game-high 20 points in that contest and netted 27 in Dixie’s first-round rout over Park City. The senior will have to continue that high-scoring streak for the Flyers to stay in it against the Riverhawks.
No. 5 Payson (16-7) v. No. 13 Desert Hills (10-12), 9:10 p.m.: The second game in the girls quarterfinal round that went against seeding finds the Cinderella Thunder looking for another upset.
Desert Hills handled Uintah at home in the first round and then shocked No. 4 Cottonwood in the second round, beating the Colts by one on the road.
Hannah Heaton’s free throw with two seconds left completed the Thunder’s 49-48 upset. Jenna Brown led the Thunder with 17 points and Mylee Villanueva netted 13 for Desert Hills.
Payson comes into the contest after going unbeaten 10-0 to win Region 8.
The red-hot Lions are riding a 12-game winning streak and had four players–Averie Roundy, Oaklie Jackman, Cheznie Roundy and Quincy Matthews–score double-digits in their second round blowout win over Jordan.
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