St. George • Layton Christian showed why it is the favorite to repeat as Class 2A state champions Saturday afternoon at Desert Hills High School.
Thanks to their high-powered offense and tough defense, the Eagles ran away with a 76-50 victory over Gunnison Valley in a chippy game that had three technical fouls to open defense of their state title.
“There were a lot of positives to take from this game, but I was most proud of our defense,” Layton Christian coach Bobby Porter said. “People say we can’t play defense, but we showed it today. A lot of people also don’t realize that we play at a faster pace with more possessions, too.”
Gunnison Valley’s Parx Bartholomew and Tim Stewart, who combined for 73 3-pointers during the regular season, helped the Bulldogs become one of the most potent 3-point shooting teams in 2A.
However, the duo combined to finish with just 14 points and two 3-pointers in the loss.
Part of the problem for the Bulldogs was that the offense did not have time to set up thanks to the Eagles’ full-court defense that created havoc all day.
“We were able to create a lot of turnovers, which led to a lot of points on the other end,” Porter said. “We pride ourselves on defense, and today everyone came in and contributed.”
All 15 guys who dressed for the Eagles got playing time, and 11 of the 15 players scored points.
“That’s what it’s all about,” said Layton Christian’s Braxton Meah, who scored a team-high 14 points. “Coach wanted everyone to play, and so it was nice to see everyone contribute and get some time out on the floor. We have a lot of talented players on this team, and so it’s nice to see everyone’s hard work in practice pay off.”
Meah filled up the stat sheet with 14 points, eight rebounds and multiple blocked shots despite playing just 15 minutes.
The 6-foot-11 junior forward altered shots and even threw down a massive dunk with the entire Gunnison Valley team defending around the basket.
“Jesus [Nasr] threw a nice pass to me underneath the basket, and so I just went up and dunked the ball and ended up coming down on one of the Gunnison players,” Meah said with a smile.
Layton Christian players and coaches had a big team dance to celebrate the victory and advancing to the state quarterfinals.
“We always have a team dance after a win. Coaches have to dance, managers dance. We all dance,” Porter said. “I really want the kids to cherish the moment and just enjoy the ride.”
Sano Gasana had 12 points, Lino Saez chipped in 11 and Sam Muller and Nasr both had nine points in the win.
The Eagles will take on Enterprise in a state quarterfinal at 12:50 p.m. Thursday at the Sevier Valley Center in Richfield.
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