Never a doubt, Davis boys basketball produces 8th state title on ‘rebounding and trust’
Darts outstomp top seed Herriman with 32-point fourth
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- As teammates celebrate, Davis High’s Bennett Wright lets out a yell while holding the Utah 6A boys basketball state championship trophy on Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025, at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City.
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- Davis High guard JT Turley, right, rises against contact from Herriman’s Dray Stilson (22) during the 6A state championship game Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025, at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City.
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- Davis High’s Bode Sparrow, left, tries to keep the ball against Herriman’s David Tanner during the 6A state championship game Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025, at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City.
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- Davis High boys basketball head coach Chad Sims, facing, hugs a player after his team won the 6A state championship Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025, at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City.
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- Davis High’s Tradon Bessinger (24) rises with a shot during the 6A state championship game Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025, at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City.
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- Davis High’s JT Turley, left, leans into a drive against Herriman’s Carlo Mulford during the 6A state championship game Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025, at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City.
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- Davis High’s Croydon Christensen, center, holds the 6A boys basketball state championship trophy in celebration with teammates on Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025, at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City.
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- Davis High’s Croydon Christensen (4) drives the basketball against Herriman during the 6A state championship game Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025, at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City.
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- Davis High guard JT Turley (11) poses with the Utah 6A boys basketball state championship trophy among teammates and the student section after defeating Herriman on Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025, at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City.
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- Davis High boys basketball head coach Chad Sims leads his team in a timeout during the 6A state championship game Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025, at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City.
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- Davis High teammates Croydon Christensen, facing, and JT Turley embrace after winning the 6A state championship Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025, at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City.
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- Davis High’s Coleman Atwater (1) scoops a shot as Herriman’s Stockton Blanchard (21) and Zach Tanner (23) look on during the 6A state championship game Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025, at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City.
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- Davis High students raise their arms during a free-throw attempt in the 6A state championship game Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025, at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City.
SALT LAKE CITY — Nobody gets a state championship by sweating the small stuff.
As the No. 2 seed in the 6A tournament, Davis boys basketball had its temperature measured through a double-overtime bout with No. 15 American Fork in the second round, an 11-point blown lead to No. 7 Westlake in the quarterfinals, and a 12-point deficit turned 20-point win over No. 3 seed and co-Region 1 champion Layton for the program’s third state title appearance in a over a decade.
Why should the last one be any different?
Like clockwork, the Darts trailed No. 1 Herriman for the majority of Thursday night’s title bout but it’s a trait Chad Sims, in 11 years as head coach, hasn’t questioned of this particular team.
Led by senior Coleman Atwater, garnering 24 points, three rebounds and an assist, Davis walked into the fourth quarter down a bucket with every man on the roster determined to fight tooth and nail, right to the buzzer.
On the back end of a 15-7 run by the Darts, senior Bryker Couser sent Herriman down eight from 3-point land, finishing the evening a perfect 2 of 2 from such range, with a couple minutes still to burn.
Davis pulled it together for repeated stops, paving the way for a 75-66 victory. It’s the program’s eighth state championship and second of Sims’ career.
“It was always about winning,” Sims said. “They were committed to the weight room, skill development and the team. This team was second to none of all the teams we’ve coached. They’ve just been focused on winning and they allowed me to coach that way.”
Opening the night down 19-17 through the first quarter, Davis wouldn’t top that production again until a monster 32-point output in the fourth quarter. The final period also saw the Darts absolutely dominate the glass, finishing with a 31-20 tally.
The push raised Davis to 47% (24 of 51) from the floor.
Asked about those eight minutes, Atwater said it’s what he’s come to expect of Davis — the community he represented alongside fellow seniors Couser, Croydon Christensen and Bennett Wright — over four years in the Sims system.
“We had to see how tough we really were and our guys were tough enough,” Atwater said.
“Rebounding and trust, man,” Atwater continued. “I’m super proud of my guys. It’s hard to put this into words because we worked so hard for it. We were talking about this last spring and we worked for it every day, and it’s an unbelievable feeling.”
Herriman produced multiple runs throughout the evening, leading by as much as nine with 2:42 to play in the first half. Sophomore Bode Sparrow and junior JT Turley, each breaking into double figures with 16 and 12 points respectively, were responsible for drawing the Darts back within four heading into halftime.
In the face of another Herriman run midway through the third, Junior Moala’s four points, tallied on back-to-back possessions, served as the perfect pairing to an Atwater 3-point bucket in taming the Mustangs, still up a possession, when the fourth quarter arrived.
A consistent theme throughout the Darts’ 24-3 finish, which includes a share of the Region 1 regular-season title, has been blind faith. That raw trust, which Sims said begins with his seniors, has a top-down effect most coaches never see.
“The guys never wavered on that focus and that commitment,” Sims said. “There’s a standard that they’ve set for sure.”
In his Davis career, Sims holds the state’s eighth-most consecutive wins, stringing together 28 between 2021 and 2022, and now another title banner.
Connect with sports reporter Conner Becker via email at cbecker@standard.net and X @ctbecker.
