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Davis High's Coleman Atwater (1) rises to the rim past a Herriman defender in the 6A state championship game Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025, at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City.

BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner

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Davis High's JT Turley (11) hustles past Herriman's Dray Stilson (22) in the 6A state championship game Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025, at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City.

BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner

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Davis High's Bode Sparrow, left, scoops a shot over Herriman's Cale Barclay in the 6A state championship game Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025, at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City.

BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner

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Davis High's Bryker Couser (20) looks past Herriman's Carlo Mulford (13) to make a play in the 6A state championship game Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025, at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City.

BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner

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Davis High's Coleman Atwater (1) grips the ball and eyes a pass against Herriman's David Tanner during the 6A state championship game Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025, at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City.

BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner

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Davis High students cheer during the 6A state championship game Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025, at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City.

BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner

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Davis High's Junior Moala (32) reaches for a loose ball in the 6A state championship game against Herriman on Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025, at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City.

BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner

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Davis High's JT Turley, center, drives into the Herriman defense during the 6A state championship game Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025, at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City.

BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner

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MORE ON DAVIS

Never a doubt, Davis boys basketball produces 8th state title on ‘rebounding and trust’

SALT LAKE CITY — Fending off everything top-seed Herriman threw at them for three quarters, No. 2 Davis boys basketball saved its best offense for the final 8 minutes, dropping 32 points in the fourth quarter alone, of the 6A state championship Thursday at the Huntsman Center.

Down a possession to begin the fourth quarter, the Darts ripped off 15 points in 5 minutes pushing for all the marbles.

Up five, Bryker Couser sunk a 3-pointer for Davis and the Darts went streaking away 75-66 for the program’s eighth state title and first since defeating then top-seed Westlake as the No. 7 seed in 2021.

Couser’s six points included one of the game’s pivotal baskets, building on a 24-of-51 effort from the field. Senior Coleman Atwater’s 24 points and three rebounds led the Darts, finishing 24-3 in their eighth state championship campaign.

Bode Sparrow (16 points, nine rebounds), JT Turley (12 points, six rebounds), Croydon Christensen (seven points), Tradon Bessinger (six points), and Junior Moala (four points) each provided steady answers throughout the evening.

Better yet, Davis finished the better 3-point shooting team (nine 3s) and dominated the glass by 11 more boards (31 total).

Thursday’s performance marks the second state championship for Chad Sims, coaching Davis teams to both of his career championships with three state title appearances in the past five seasons.

Davis pulled the 3-point trigger enough to lead twice throughout a close first quarter. Turley pushed the Darts up three late and a spin move by Atwater, evading Stockton Blanchard for a full-extension layup, kept Davis within a basket, trailing 19-17, by the second quarter.

Couser and Bessinger shot tit-for-tat with Herriman in the first minutes back, but a 9-0 run by the Mustangs, emphasized by Carlo Mulford’s second 3-point bucket of the first half, provided the game’s first true swing. Two turnovers by Stone Tia motivated a short 5-0 Davis run featuring another Turley 3-pointer, assisted by Sparrow, trimming Herriman’s lead to four at the break.

The second-half greeting Davis hoped for came in the form of a Christensen and-one bucket, siphoning Herriman’s lead to one with a near-full third quarter to play. The Mustangs profited slightly off three empty Darts possessions but opened the fourth still holding a one-possession lead due to Moala baskets and an Atwater 3-pointer.

Davis opened the fourth quarter on a mighty 15-7 run, forcing two timeouts by the Herriman bench in as little as five minutes. Couser pitted Herriman down eight with a 3-pointer coming out of the break and two stops spelled the end for the Mustangs.

As a team, Herriman finished 25-of-49 shooting, including 7 of 23 from 3-point range, behind leading scorers Carlo Mulford (23 points) and Cale Barclay (21 points).

BOX SCORE

Davis 17 13 13 32 – 75

Herriman 19 15 12 20 – 66

DHS (75): Atwater 24, Sparrow 16, Turley 12, Christensen 7, Bessinger 6, Couser 6 Moala 4.

HHS (66): Mulford 23, Barclay 21, Tia 11, Blanchard 5, Turner 4, Ninow 2.

Connect with sports reporter Conner Becker via email at cbecker@standard.net and X @ctbecker.