West Jordan » Lehi coach Craig Gladwell knows his guards are capable of putting up big numbers. He would like to see them get more involved in the offense but until then, Lehi's inside players are carrying most of the load.

Post players William Walkes and Josh Scott each had 17 points to lead the Pioneers to a 55-43 win over Copper Hills on Wednesday.

"Will draws the attention and Josh just slips in there and can score or gets a rebound off one of Will's misses," Gladwell said. "They can really make a two-man totem in there."

It was their play inside that helped the Pioneers pull away in the third quarter. The Grizzlies came from a 21-18 halftime deficit and scored the first six points of the second half. But Copper Hills' offense stalled and Lehi went on a 14-0 run. The Pioneers were more patient than they were in the first half, and as Walkes drew double- and even triple-teams, things opened up for Lehi.

Still, that didn't mean Walkes wasn't aggressive. He had six points in that run.

"That [run] was huge. We were going after every loose ball," Walkes said. "We have a long way to go but where we are right now, we're progressing."

The closest Copper Hills could get in the second half was five points, when Josh Powell made a basket to cut the lead to 44-39 with five minutes left.

A press the Grizzlies put on to force turnovers wasn't successful and the rest of the game was played mostly at the free-throw line. Lehi gave Copper Hills a chance to stay in the game, but the Pioneers made six free throws in the last minute to seal the win.

Meanwhile, Copper Hills was 7 of 16 from the free-throw line. B.J. Carver led the Grizzlies with nine points.

"There have been games where we have played great offense and there have been games where we played great defense, but we haven't put the two together," said Copper Hills coach Kent Smith. "Absolutely, consistency is an issue. We'll get another shot when we play Alta."

mthach@sltrib.com