One of the reasons why Olympus is the No. 1 team in Class 4A is because of how balanced and how deep its offense is.

The Titans have one of the best pure shooters in the state in Nick Paulos and a plethora of other players who can step up offensively.

But opposing teams shouldn't overlook how strong their defense is as well.

Highland found that out in a 55-41 loss on Olympus' home court on Tuesday.

"Everyone talks about the offense but I'm so proud of how we played defense," Olympus coach Matt Barnes said. "The team played with passion, intensity and enthusiasm."

Olympus made it difficult for Highland to score for most of the first half and allowed the Rams one point in the third quarter.

"They're long, they have length and they really give you trouble," Highland coach Keith West said. "I think we played good defense but we didn't rebound well."

Highland's offense sputtered at times in the first half and it was hard for the Rams to find a flow. The outside shot wasn't going in and even when they got in closer for layups and putbacks, the Rams still couldn't make a basket.

It went on like that for the first six minutes of the second quarter. But a field goal by Nata Fakahafua sparked a run that saw Highland score 12 points in the last two and a half minutes of the first half. The Rams cut the lead to 23-18.

"We were excited to be down by just five because we didn't play so well," West said. "But we didn't come out in the third quarter."

Olympus was aggressive on the offensive boards, especially Ben Sonntag, who was a big factor inside for the Titans.

"I just had a lot more energy and had more confidence going up," said Sonntag, who scored a game-high 14 points.