Ogden • Brekkott Chapman stood at midcourt and smirked, a nod to the Roy student section’s "You got swatted" chant late in the fourth quarter.
It’s a surprise the students weren't hoarse from repeating the chant over and over and over again.
Chapman blocked seven shots and the Royals rode a dominant defensive effort in the second half to beat Springville 59-46 in Tuesday’s first round of the Class 4A boys’ state tournament at the Dee Events Center.
"I enjoy playing defense," said Chapman, a 6-foot-8 junior who played in his first state tournament game. "Defense first, always. Defense creates offense.
"It’s a pleasure to use my height to my advantage and block shots."
Chapman nearly turned in a triple-double, with 16 points and 11 rebounds — both game highs. Jesse Wayment scored 14 points and David Hadley added 13 points, including a pair 3-pointers in the third quarter to give Roy (17-6) some separation.
Springville (17-5) struggled from the perimeter and found big No. 23 patrolling the lane. The Devils shot just 22 percent in the game and were 6 of 35 from the field in the second half.
"Our coaches tell us that we’re a team that when we go into halftime, our coaches get after us and we respond," said Chapman, who has been battling a cold and went to the bench in the first half out of breath. "We’ve responded good almost every game. And it’s just keep going after that."
Roy won a playoff game for the first time since 2007. The Royals had missed the postseason each of the past four years.
Bradley Kitchen had 14 points and 10 rebounds and Spencer Frixione added 13 points for Springville, which went 1 for 11 from 3-point range in the second half.
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Chapman had difficulty at the free-throw line – he finished 5 for 14 -- but the Royals scored 17 points from the line in the fourth quarter.
"That’s probably the roughest game I’ve had from the free-throw line," Chapman said. "It’s a new environment. I don’t think any of us has played in a state tournament game. It’s a lot of pressure, but we’ll handle it better on Thursday."
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