Friday night was the big game. It was the Wolverines of Hunter versus the Cougars of Kearns. Hunter beat Kearns at their first meeting, but Kearns hadn't lost since. It was for all the marbles of the region title. Tie for the title or be 2 games ahead. Dun dun dun!!!!
It was a bit crazy. Hunter played pretty much horribly during the first half. They couldn't buy a basket, they had way too many turnovers, and the officiating was terrible. Something happened during halftime, though. They came out fired up and ready to win. They totally took Kearns out of their game and midway through the 4th quarter, Kearns looked like they needed a nice long breather. They were totally out of gas and Hunter just kept plowing away at them.
Phew. It was stressful, but Hunter pulled it out.
I started the game sitting in one spot in the bleachers. I had James behind me, Preston in front of me, and then Katie even came up and joined behind me. Now, I can yell with the best of them, but this was more than I could handle during this high intensity game. Jack and I had to leave. We moved all over (that's why we sit in the balcony with no one else) and finally ended up on the top row with Parker and all the children.
It was a nail biter.
It made the Channel 13 news. It made the Deseret News. It made the Tribune. Willie was shown on the news and his name was in the Tribune article.
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Prep boys’ basketball: Hunter fights off Kearns
The Wolverines improved to 6-0 against Region 2 foes.
Kearns • Opponents that play the Kearns boys’ basketball team have two options — play at the Cougars’ frenetic pace or set the tempo.
Hunter slowed down things just enough to overcome Kearns 58-49 in an important Region 2 showdown Friday.
The Wolverines erased an 11-point deficit moments into the third quarter and built a double-digit lead midway through the fourth to remain undefeated in region play (6-0).
“We couldn’t go to their level,” Hunter’s Noah Togiai said. “We had to stick to how we play. We played them before, so we knew what their strengths and weaknesses were. We knew what we had to do to win. It’s a great feeling right now.”
Perhaps more important than being undefeated, Hunter opened a two-game lead in the region standings over Kearns and Viewmont with four games left. The loss was the Cougars’ first at home this season.
Despite trailing for nearly the entire first half, Hunter’s intensity never waned. The Wolverines continually crashed the boards for second-chance opportunities. Hunter outrebounded Kearns 41-28, including several on the offensive end that led to three-point plays.
“Our goal is to get all the loose balls and as many offensive rebounds as you can get,” Hunter coach Dave Filimoehala said.
“The guys took it to heart. We needed to get it down to our tempo so we could execute. We got away from that early. We told them this game had to be won on the defensive end.”
Togiai was among those hustling throughout the game. The sophomore led all scorers with 24 points, including 16 in the second half. He also converted 13 of his 19 free-throw attempts. Kearns committed 24 fouls.
“Second-chance points win the game,” Togiai said. “We’re very pleased with the win.”
It seemed early on that the Cougars (4-2 in region) would be the first region team to defeat Hunter. Kearns led 29-20 at halftime, and Darion Brown’s basket to open the second half extended the margin to double digits. But the Cougars became a little too aggressive, and Hunter made 17 of its 22 free throws in the second half.
The Wolverines used a 25-4 run to build a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter before the Cougars rallied to cut the deficit to five points twice.
“If we lost tonight, that puts three teams in [the region race],” Filimoehala said. “We needed to get a little separation because you don’t know what’s going to happen. You keep working hard and good things will happen.”
Brandon Davies added 11 points and Willie Peterson and Lorenzo Dudley both scored nine points for Hunter. Togiai had 11 rebounds and Peterson 10.
Dayon Goodman had 21 points and 10 rebounds to lead Kearns. Brown added 11 points.
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I didn't take my camera to the game, but my sister did.
I did take my camera to the West game the week before.
