This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
American Fork • Judging from the number of pre-holiday prep basketball tournaments being played in Utah, coaches must think there is value in playing in an event where there are three games in three nights.
That is what Sky View Coach Kirk Hillyard thought after his team captured a foul-plagued 72-62 victory over Layton in the semifinals of the first Utah Elite 8 tournament at the beautiful new American Fork gym Friday night.
The Bobcats will meet Davis Saturday at 5 p.m. for the tournament title.
"It is a state tournament atmosphere where you have to play and win or be done and our kids rose to the challenge," said Hillyard. "They like that. This was a lot of fun to be a part of. It's great for our guys from a little town to come down and play with the big guys and beat some big guys."
Sky View, which plays in 4A, opened the tournament with a win over host American Fork. The Bobcats definitely look to be a factor in the state tournament though, in a game where they shot 45 free throws, it was hard for them to get much rhythm.
After an 11-11 tie late in the first quarter, Sky View went on a 9-0 run. They never trailed after that, though Layton kept it close.
The Lancers did manage to cut the lead to six twice midway through the fourth quarter, but their constant fouling proved to be their undoing.
Sky View, which didn't get a field goal in the fourth quarter until there was 2:28 left in the game, hit eight straight field goals to take a 14-point lead and was never threatened.
Bryce Mortensen, a 6-foot-6 junior, did most of the damage for the bobcats. He finished with 24 points, including eight of 13 from the line.
"It was pretty sweet to be able to come down here and be able to play Davis or Bingham," he said. "It's a cool experience. Coming in to play larger 5A schools when we are 4A will definitely get us ready for state."
Asked about the free throws, Mortensen smiled.
"I got enough practice making free throws," he said. "I started making them after awhile."
In the nightcap, Davis' used its delmberate pace to slow down Bingham and earn a 63-58 victory.
The Darts scored the first seven points of the fourth quarter and then relied on amazing free throw shooting, especially by star guard Jesse Wade, who hit 14 of his 16 free throws in the fourth quarter to hold off the Miners who stayed dangerously close but seemed obviously frustrated at times by the slower pace of the game. Wade would finish with 32 points. The Darts would hit 29 of 32 free throws in that decisive second half to negate a nice effort by Bingham's Yoeli Childs.
In earlier consolation games, American Fork beat Brighton 78-69 and Corner Canyon held off Mountain Crest 56-53.
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Utah Elite 8
Saturday Schedule
P Mt. Crest vs. Brighton, noon
• Corner Canyon vs. American Fork, 1:40 p.m.
• Layton vs. Bingham, 3:30 p.m.
• Sky View vs. Davis (championship), 5 p.m.