This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Pleasant Grove's 7-foot-3 sophomore Matthew Van Komen may be the tallest player Utah high school basketball fans have seen since Emery's Shawn Bradley played 25 years ago.
The Vikings' big man made his 2017 state tournament debut a hit in the early going as he led his team to a hard-fought 48-45 Class 5A boys' basketball first-round victory over a good Davis team.
Van Komen scored eight of his team-high 12 points in the first quarter when Pleasant Grove took what proved to be an insurmountable 14-7 lead in a game that opened the tournament Monday.
He finished with 12 rebounds and three blocked shots while altering what the Darts could do inside.
"It was fun playing in a big environment with lots of fans," said Van Komen, who said the Huntsman Center floor didn't affect him much. "I'm not shooting as much as the other guys."
Vikings coach Randy McAllister praised his young center's tough play against teams such as Davis that try to make up for the height disadvantage with physical play.
"His progress is amazing," McAllister said. "His mentality stayed good."
Davis gave Pleasant Grove all it wanted. Had the Darts hit more 3-point shots — they were only 3 of 24 for the game — they might have pulled the upset.
The Darts, who got 16 points from Tyson Garff, stayed close enough to be dangerous but never quite could take the lead.
McAllister was surprised his team never trailed.
"It felt like we were down half the time," he said with a smile. "It was a state tournament game. You don't know what to expect. We only had one player back from last year's team that even experienced what that was like. We were here for a short period of time. It's good to get that one out of the way to get to play one more time."
The coach said the low scoring didn't surprise him, despite the Vikings averaging more than 60 points a game. He said state games tend to be more physical with refs often letting more go.
"Defense is the reason teams win, not offense," he said.
Of course, when you have a 7-3 center backing up that defense, it can make a huge difference.
Twitter @tribtomwharton —
Pleasant Grove 48, Davis 45
R Pleasant Grove's 7-foot-3 sophomore center Matthew Van Komen gets his team off to a good start and finishes with 12 points, 12 rebounds and three blocked shots.
• Davis, led by 16 points from Tyson Garff, stays close enough to be competitive but never can take the lead.