If one desires to know just how difficult a league Region 4 has been this season, all he or she would have to do is take a look at American Fork and Hillcrest.
The Cavemen beat Provo, Orem and Timpview in the preseason, went 8-2 out of the league and sport two potential Division I prospects in sophomores Marcel Davis and Quincy Bair. The Huskies, in kind, went 6-3 in the preseason, beat West Jordan and Riverton out of the league and have a promising prospect in James Jongejan.
With all of those credentials, however, American Fork and Hillcrest are 1-6 and 0-6 in the region, respectively.
"It just goes to prove how difficult this region is," Brighton coach Lyndon Johnson said. "Every single game is a grind, physically and mentally."
There is absolutely no question that the best league in the state is Region 4. If Bingham is the consensus favorite to win the Class 5A state title, nobody will be shocked if the eventual champion comes from Region 4.
The list of heavyweights is long and impressive. There's Alta. There's Brighton. There's Jordan. There's Lone Peak and there's Pleasant Grove.
From these teams one could put together a list of all-state candidates from Alta's Kyle Davis to Brighton's Corbin Miller and Sam Wunderli to Lone Peak's freshman phenom Nick Emery, who one league coach called the second best overall player in the state, only behind Provo's Kyle Collinsworth.
"There simply isn't a night off in this league," Lone Peak coach Quincy Lewis said. "It's just one difficult game after another."
Going into Friday, just one game separated five teams, with Alta, Brighton and Jordan at 5-2. Pleasant Grove and Lone Peak are 4-3. Every game is close, and there have been heart stopping moments. Case in point? How about Wednesday when Jordan led Pleasant Grove 43-33 with five minutes left, only to score just one point the remainder of the game and lose 47-44.
"I needed to stay away from sharp objects after that one," Beetdiggers coach Rob Geertson said, jokingly.
The question is whether or not the league will help or hurt itself in the postseason. The region similarly was strong during football season. But in the postseason, the heavyweight teams were noticeably worn out as no Region 4 team made the championship game and only one advanced to the final four.
"I don't think that's going to happen with basketball," Johnson said. "I don't think basketball wears you out physically like it does in football. Only time will prove me right or wrong."
