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The rest of Class 4A has its hands full trying to figure out a way to slow down defending champion Olympus.

Kearns' effort Friday night, though strong, ended with a resounding thud and the visiting Titans pulled away late for an 86-70 win in the Region 6 opener for both teams.

"It's a big win for us," Olympus sophomore guard Jeremy Dowdell said. "They're really good and if we want to make the playoffs, we need to get these road wins. They're really important."

Making the playoffs is hardly the ultimate goal for Olympus (10-2), which won its seventh in a row and improved to 3-0 against Kearns over the past two seasons. Dowdell scored a career-high 25 points and knocked down five 3-pointers, and senior forward Matt Lindsey scored 10 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter.

Olympus trailed by a point at halftime, and led by just two after three quarters, but Rylan Jones' steal and layup two minutes into the fourth quarter put the Titans up 66-57 and spurred a 15-4 run that buried the host Cougars (7-5).

Nick Valles scored 22 points and kept Kearns within striking distance late with three second-half 3-pointers. But Olympus' balance proved too much in the closing minutes.

Olympus had five players in double figures and outscored Kearns 29-15 in the closing quarter.

"We have four guys who can really score," Olympus coach Matt Barnes said. "When we play the right way and share it, that's the key. That's what helped us win it last year — any given night, play the game the right way and the open guy gets the shot."

Olympus entered the game as the top scoring team in Class 4A, and bumped its average to 74.7 points. The Titans reached 80 points or more for the fourth time this season, behind the sharpshooting of Dowdell.

"I was shooting well and my teammates were finding me for open shots," Dowdell said. "I was just shooting them when I was open."

Kearns had four players finish in double figures. —

Olympus 86, Kearns 70

R Jeremy Dowdell scores 25 points and Matt Lindsey adds 22 for the visiting Titans.

• Kearns hangs tough through three quarters, but is outscored 29-15 in the final eight minutes.

• Olympus, the defending champion in Class 4A, has won seven in a row.