ST. GEORGE — Home court advantage helped the underdogs make things interesting Wednesday night in Region 9 boys basketball action. But in the end, the favorites prevailed.

Dixie, having locked up the regular season title, found the going tough at the Thunderdome but outlasted Desert Hills, 67-62. The Flyers’ Jordan Roberts set the state record for most assists in a single season.

Over in Hurricane, the Tigers gave Snow Canyon all it could handle. But the Warriors were able to grind out an important 61-56 win.

Meanwhile, host Pine View played Crimson Cliffs close but the Mustangs came out on the plus side of a 62-57 victory. Panther Griffen Shepherd surpassed 1,000 career points during the game.

Now Crimson, which has a bye Friday night, will have to wait and see where it falls when the 4A state tournament bracket is revealed Saturday morning.

Cedar had a bye and returns to the hardwood Friday night at Dixie.

Dixie 67, Desert Hills 62

The Flyers led after each of the first three quarters but had to withstand a furious rally by the Thunder to remain unbeaten in Region 9.

“Desert Hills played great. They had a great game plan and Eli Allred had a great game, so credit Eli tonight,” Dixie coach Tyler Roberts told St. George News. “But it was good for us to be in a hostile environment and prepare us for state. And it was a fun game for sure to be a part of.”

Dixie led 47-40 going into the final session. The teams traded 3-pointers, with Breckon Robinson hitting for Dixie and Mason Rasmussen netting a long ball for Desert Hills.

An Allred bucket was sandwiched between two Dixie 3’s (Jordan Roberts and Tyson Forsey) and the Flyers led 56-45.

The Thunder ripped off a 9-2 run on two 3’s by Jackson Holman and another by Chaz Holbrook, cutting Dixie’s lead to 58-54 with 4:39 remaining.

Allred wouldn’t go away, sinking a 12-footer and then an off-balance 3. Holman splashed another trey for Desert Hills  and Dixie led 64-62 with 11.9 seconds left. 

Logan Wideauer had a pair of free throws, Forsey made a charity toss in the final seconds and Dixie closed out the win from the stripe.

Allred finished with a game-high 30 points to carry the Thunder. 

“They came out hot. They all hit shots,” Dixie’s Kyle Lemke said. “Towards the end they kept hitting all of their 3’s. Eli Allred had a heckuva game. But we just knew we had to execute and step on it and not let up.” 

Holman scored 11 for the Thunder’s cause and Ben Chase finished with seven points in the setback.

Wideauer was the high man for Dixie, scoring 21 points for the winners. Lemke finished with 17.

It was a record-setting night for Dixie’s Jordan Roberts. The senior leads the nation with 12 assists per game and he broke the single-season record in Utah Wednesday night after dispensing 13 assists against Desert Hills.

“It feels great just because of all the time I’ve put in personally,” Jordan Roberts said after raising his season total to 277 assists … and still counting. “But again it always circles back to my teammates. I have the best teammates in the state, or even in the country, in my opinion.

“I just love playing with them,” he added. “It makes my job a lot easier when you got good teammates who can hit shots.”

Dixie continues full speed ahead, seeking to finish the region slate unbeaten and then make a run for the 4A state championship.

“Desert Hills had a great game but I also think we could have played a better defensive game,” Jordan Roberts said. “Definitely going into the state tournament we’ve got to lock in on defense and focus on that.”   

Crimson Cliffs  62, Pine View 57

The Mustangs eked out the victory on the road after a big night from Scoop Johnson. The senior netted 18 points to lead Crimson’s win.

Big man Sean Felts threw in 14 points for the winners, who spread the points around in a balanced attack.

Six other Mustangs recorded at least a bucket in the win. Trevor Taylor sank a 3-pointer and finished with eight points in the win and Drake Carroll also chipped in with eight points.

It was a battle from the opening tip in the Jungle as the teams finished the first quarter tied 11-11.

A critical 20-12 win in the second session provided Crimson with an 8-point halftime lead the Mustangs would nurse until the final buzzer.

Pine View’s dynamic duo did not let the home team go down easy. Nash Schroeder poured in a game-high 30 points and Griffen Shepherd tossed in four 3-pointers and 22 points to keep the Panthers close throughout.

Shepherd’s performance sent him over the 1,000-point mark in his career at Pine View. Fellow senior Schroeder achieved that feat earlier this season.

The Panthers won the fourth quarter 19-15 but it was not enough to overcome their early deficit.

Snow Canyon 61, Hurricane 56

In a hard-fought battle at Hurricane, the Snow Canyon Warriors held off the persistent Tigers for a five-point victory.

Snow Canyon’s Owen Mackay scored 26 points, including a clutch 3-pointer in the final minutes, followed shortly thereafter by a pair of free throws with 19 seconds left that proved to be the final points of the contest.

Snow Canyon started the game on a strong note, with Damon Ence and Mackay making successive 3-pointers to give Snow Canyon an early 11-2 lead.

After Snow Canyon doubled up the score 22-11 early in the second quarter, Hurricane made a 9-0 run, capped off with a layup by Ethan Staples.

Toward the end of the second quarter, Mackay stole the ball and went in for a fast-break dunk to put the Warriors up by seven once again, 29-22.

The Tigers managed to narrow their deficit to three at the halftime break, 29-26.

Hurricane started strong in the third as RJ Hurst drained a trey to give the Tigers a 36-31 lead.

Snow Canyon came back to tie the game 38-38 as the quarter ended.

The fourth quarter was a back-and-forth battle, but Mackay ultimately took over down the stretch and sealed the win for the Warriors. In addition to his game-high 26 points, Mackay finished with 14 rebounds and six assists.

Reggie Mackay added 13 points and Ence scored nine for Snow Canyon.

Snow Canyon made 22-of-49 field goals (45%), including 11-of-18 from 3-point range (61%). The Warriors also converted 6-of-9 free throws (67%).

Hurricane was led by Hurst’s 19 points, while Cayleb Jackman added 12 and Brigham Kemp scored eight.

Hurricane made 24-of-49 field goals (49%), including 5-of-14 from 3-point range (36%). The Tigers converted 3-of-11 free throws (27%).

– written by Jeff Richards

Region 9 boys basketball standings (overall, region):

1. Dixie (20-3, 11-0)
2. Snow Canyon (14-7, 8-3)
3. Crimson Cliffs (12-10, 7-5)
4. Desert Hills (13-9, 6-5)
5. Pine View (13-9, 5-6)
6. Cedar (4-18, 2-9)
7. Hurricane (5-17, 0-11)

Region 9 schedule for Friday, Feb. 16:

• Cedar at Dixie, 7 p.m.
• Hurricane at Pine View, 7 p.m.
• Snow Canyon at Desert Hills, 7 p.m.

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