Three years ago, during its first year in Class 3A, the Juan Diego boys' basketball team padded its preseason schedule to ease the transition to its new classification.

Ultimately, that decision backfired.

Though the Soaring Eagle were able to weave their way through region play and sneak into the postseason, they weren't ready for what they encountered on the big stage.

"The kids were just in awe of the competition," said Juan Diego coach Sonny Tangaro. "Now we play the best teams we can so we're not caught off-guard."

Now, Tangaro has taken a more no-nonsense approach to the preseason, regardless of whether the Soaring Eagle have a full complement of players by the time the first few games of the season roll around. Out of Juan Diego's 24 total basketball players, 14 played football. At the start of the season, many of the Soaring Eagle's top players were still nursing some late-season football injuries.

"That's just the price you pay for having a successful football program," Tangaro said. "But I think they've finally got their shoulder pads off and have started to play basketball. Everyone is now healthy and we're starting to find some consistency."

Thanks to its loaded preseason schedule, however, that consistency has yet to show in Juan Diego's record.

So far, Juan Diego has played three of Class 5A's top-ranked teams -- Bingham, Lone Peak and Skyline. Though the Soaring Eagle lost each contest, the games were within reach. With four minutes to go against No. 1-ranked Bingham, the Soaring Eagle was down just four points.

In the season's first region game, the Soaring Eagle escaped with a 53-50 win over Grantsville. It was a close call but, ultimately, an encouraging sign of the team's ability to win close games.

"I'd say we're one of the better .500 teams in the state," Tangaro said. "I'm pleased about how we've been competing."

Welcome to Region 4

After near-perfect preseasons propelled them to the top of the rankings, the Alta and Brighton girls' basketball teams returned to earth last week courtesy of Lone Peak, a new Region 4 addition. Brighton fell 63-52 while the Hawks' second loss of the season came in a narrow 55-52 defeat after a late-game rally.

Once the forerunners, Alta and Brighton are now forced to play catch-up if either wants to claim part of the Region 4 title. In that regard, the Hawks could still have the upper hand over the Bengals. Alta's two losses on the season -- the Hawks fell to Bingham 48-47 on Dec. 17 -- have come by a combined four points. The Bengals have fallen in more lopsided decisions.

Still, a loss is a loss. The Hawk's game Tuesday against defending 5A champion American Fork will reveal a lot about their place in a loaded Region 4 -- not to mention their resiliency.