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Orem • Viewmont mounted a major assault after halftime and built a lead it never relinquished on its way to a 66-55 victory in the opening round of the Class 5A boys' basketball state tournament.

Viking senior guard Lewis Johnson has averaged about 15 points per game this season, but Westlake held him scoreless in the first half.

He ended that streak early in the third quarter and went on to post nine of his 19 points in the period to change a tie into an eight-point advantage heading into the final quarter.

"I think that was the worst half of my entire life," Johnson said. But he said his teammates rallied around him in the locker room during the break.

"They told me to keep shooting," he said.

So did Viewmont coach Jeff Emery.

"He said I was thinking about it too much and to just let it happen," Johnson said. "I was able to put it behind me and go out and play basketball."

Josh Mordue came off the bench for 11 points, four boards and three assists in the win. He said the difference between the two halves boiled down to confidence.

"Our shots weren't falling in the first half, but we had to keep telling ourselves to go shoot another," he said. "We have to believe that the next one's going to go in."

The team also crashed the boards, finishing with a 31-23 advantage. And Viewmont had 13 assists compared to just five for the Thunder. Those little things added up to a solid team effort.

"We couldn't be tentative and expect to win," Johnson said. "After the break, we wanted to push the pace, and we were able to do that." —

Viewmont 66, Westlake 55

• Viewmont shoots just 32 percent from the floor in the first half but improves to 74 percent in the second half.

• The Vikings (16-7) advance to meet Region 3 champion Bingham (21-3) in the quarterfinals at 5:50 p.m. Wednesday at Weber State University.

• Senior guard Isaac Lundgren scores a game-high 22 points to go with nine rebounds and two steals.