‘They’re going to be huge for us’: Atwater, Sparrow lift Davis boys over Brighton 76-56 in Northern Utah Challenge opener
Syracuse, Clearfield fall on Day 1
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- Davis senior Coleman Atwater (1), defended by Brighton senior Slade Cowan (13), puts up a shot during the Northern Utah Challenge on Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024, in Kaysville.
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- Davis junior JT Turley (11) runs down the court toward Brighton senior Case Beames (21) during the Northern Utah Challenge on Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024, in Kaysville.
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- Davis junior JT Turley, defended by Brighton senior Case Beames, puts up a layup during the Northern Utah Challenge on Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024, in Kaysville.
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- Davis junior Tradon Bessinger (24) puts up a jumper vs. Brighton during the Northern Utah Challenge on Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024, in Kaysville.
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- The Syracuse boys basketball team is jubilant during the Northern Utah Challenge on Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024, in Kaysville.
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- Syracuse junior Skyler Orton (2), defended by Woods Cross junior Elliot Bendinger (5), bends for a layup
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- Syracuse senior Hudson hess (1) drives past Woods Cross senior Hunter Jackson (0) during the Northern Utah Challenge on Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024, in Kaysville.
KAYSVILLE — Five games into the regular season, Davis’ boys are learning a thing or two about playing tough, physical basketball.
That became further apparent with a convincing 76-56 win over 5A challenger Brighton on Thursday during the opening night of the Northern Utah Challenge at Davis High.
On a night when four Darts rocked double figures, senior Coleman Atwater led Davis with 18 total points. Sophomore Bode Sparrow (14 points), junior JT Turley (13 points) and senior Bennett Wright (12 points) helped fuel the fire.
As a team, Davis finished 28 of 52 (54%) from the field and 11 of 23 (48%) from 3-point land. Senior Bryker Couser (6 points) was the first to chime in when asked about Atwater and Sparrow’s roles within the offense.
“They’re going to be huge for us,” Couser said. “We outlet to them and they’re just go, go, go downhill. They’re smart, too. They’re not just chucking up shots. They’re reading the defense getting layups, fouls, kickouts — they create a lot for us.”
Woods Cross senior Josh Mawhinney led the floor with 20 points, with fellow seniors Bradley Easton (16 points) and Jaxon Soto (11 points) balancing out the offense. The Wildcats outmatched Davis 32-22 in the rebound column and at the free-throw line (9 for 11).
Mawhinney notched a double-double pulling down a floor-high 12 rebounds.
“(Mawhinney) battles hard,” Davis senior Croyden Christensen said. “It’s a constant, physical battle going both ways and he was all over the boards. He’s a tough guy and it’s on all of us to put a body on him and get as many of those (rebounds) as we can.”
Sparrow gave Davis some separation with a 5-0 run, lifting his team ahead by 3, closing a tight first quarter.
The Darts returned to the second quarter with a serious increase in pressure, forcing a Brighton timeout in two minutes and riding a 7-0 run between Turley and Atwater to an 11-point lead.
Despite leaving their first timeout 0 of 3 from the field, the Bengals fed off a 3-point bucket by Easton, trimming their climb to 7 with three minutes in the half. Davis head coach Chad Sims challenged his defense to profile 6-foot-6 Easton from the jump, Wright said.
“We tried to be really physical with (Easton),” Wright said. “He’s a great player. (Sims) told us to get off his hip on the screens and just really try to get into him and not give him a ton of space.”
Atwater buried a 3-bomb of his own with 24 seconds remaining, but the allotment was just enough time for Soto to match the bucket on the other end as the halftime buzzer rang out.
Keeping their rhythm, Atwater and Turley combined for a 9-3 run to begin the third quarter. Brighton sorted out a few issues from the field late but still trailed Davis 59-45 heading into the fourth quarter.
A tough finish by Wright, picking up a 3-point play, and another deep 3-pointer by Sparrow made for a 19-point Darts advantage with 6:44 to go. Flying toward a fourth win to begin the season, Wright said this particular Darts team has been thoroughly tested and is beginning to deliver when pushed around.
“We’ve had a pretty tough schedule and that’s how we want it to be,” Wright said.
Davis meets Olympus on Friday during the second day of the home jamboree.
BOX SCORE
Brighton 15 13 17 11 – 56
Davis High 16 20 23 – 76
BHS (56): Mawhinney 20, Easton 16, Soto 11, Cowan 4, Janke 3, Beames 2.
DHS (76): Atwater 18, Sparrow 14, Turley 13, Wright 12, Christensen 7, Couser 6, Bessinger 4, Moala 2.
Syracuse falls to Woods Cross in crunch time
Bryson Watson needed just two free throws to put away Syracuse with little over two seconds remaining, and the junior shooting guard delivered.
Trailing by two possessions at the break, Woods Cross kept Greg Godderidge’s Titans at arm’s length the rest of the way for a 67-63 win during the second game of the Northern Utah Challenge on Thursday.
A back-and-forth fourth quarter was anything but predictable, as the Titans (2-3) hedged their bets on junior Beckham Rees (11 points) at the free-throw line, down 3 in crunch time. Rees hit the first, then appeared to intentionally force an offensive rebound off the backboard.
The Titans’ final trip to the free-point stripe wasn’t exactly the end of the road, but Watson — finishing the night 3 of 4 at the line — put the final stamp down for the Wildcats (3-3) when it counted. Senior Hunter Jackson led Woods Cross with 16 total points; Watson and junior Elliot Bendinger each dropped 15 points.
Senior Hudson Hess and junior Skyler Orton each tallied a floor-high 17 points for the Titans. Junior Carter Robinson added 7 points, sophomore Colton Hoenigman added 5 points and sophomore Lincoln Sohl chipped in 4 points.
Trejo and Rees each opened the ballgame with a hot trigger, sinking a pair of 3s for an early 8-4 Titans lead. Woods Cross, turning the ball over six times before halftime, exited the second quarter down 5 when one such turnover yielded a Hoenigman layup assisted by Trejo.
Syracuse opened the second quarter cold, going 0 of 5 through three minutes as the Wildcats briefly claimed their first lead of the night midway toward the break. A 3-pointer by Hess, leading the floor with 9 points through 16 minutes, helped the Titans regain their footing for a 32-26 halftime lead.
Woods Cross, cutting back within a possession, profited off two quick Syracuse turnovers to begin the third quarter. Watson and Bendinger made back-to-back looks, pushing the Wildcats out front 39-36 as the third quarter winded down.
A pair of contested 2s put down by Orton retrieved a 47-45 Syracuse lead atop the fourth quarter, but that window closed quickly. Woods Cross sophomore Madden Johnsen missed two free throws late, opening a one-possession opportunity on the other end, but the play ultimately resulted in a 3-point basket by Watson.
Syracuse meets Highland on Friday back at Davis High. Tipoff is set for 8:15 p.m.
BOX SCORE
Woods Cross 15 11 19 22 – 67
Syracuse High 20 12 15 16 – 63
WC (67): Jackson 16, Bendinger 15, Watson 15, Smith 12, Johnsen 8, Halbasch 1.
SHS (63): Hess 17, Orton 17, Rees 11, Robinson 7, Hoenigman 5, Sohl 4, Trejo 2.
Second-quarter drought dooms Clearfield, Highland stays unbeaten
In the first game of the day, Clearfield lost track of Highland late into the first half during a 69-43 defeat at the Northern Utah Challenge.
Four Rams (5-0) dropped double-figure scoring performances, including senior Jack Anderton with a floor-high 16 points. Sophomore Elijah Dankwa’s 14 points led the Falcons (2-4), with senior Mikey Creel adding 10 points more to the offense.
Dankwa’s 8 first-quarter points led the Falcons in a close-combat start, as Highland entered the second quarter up by a possession.
Led by senior Vai Higby and junior Isaiah Drisdom over the next eight minutes, Highland waltzed into halftime up 31-22 after leading by as much as 13 during the second quarter.
The Rams refused to downshift coming out of the locker room, dropping an 18-6 run five minutes back onto the court. Senior Sam Droge and sophomore Jack Galvan provided a 5-point jolt at the end of the third quarter, but the Falcons remained down 24 with the doors rapidly closing.
Clearfield finished the night just 11 of 26 from the field and 3 of 13 beyond the arc.
The Titans travel to Syracuse next Wednesday (7 p.m.).
BOX SCORE
Highland 16 15 26 12 – 69
Clearfield 14 8 11 10 – 43
HHS (69): Anderton 16, Higby 15, Dodge 11, Drisdom 11, Ries 10, Lee 3, Thornton 3.
CHS (43): Dankwa 14, Creel 10, Davis 6, Godderidge 6, Galvan 3, Droge 2, Bishop 2.
Connect with prep sports reporter Conner Becker via email at cbecker@standard.net and X @ctbecker.
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