(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Viewmont vs. Olympus, 5A State high school basketball tournament at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City, Wednesday Feb. 28, 2018. Viewmont's Jaxon Wilding (33) and Olympus's Harrison Creer (23).
Olympus shooting guard Jeremy DowDell positioned himself just beyond the arc on the baseline, received a pass from teammate Rylan Jones and buried a 3 that touched nothing but the bottom of the net against Viewmont.
It turns out DowDell just was just warming up.
The junior made it rain from downtown five more times in the first half as the red-hot shooter delivered a knockout blow to the Vikings before two quarters even had expired. Olympus never looked back running over Viewmont 86-45 in Wednesday’s quarterfinal round of the Class 5A boys’ basketball state tournament.
“My teammates did a great job of getting me the ball, and I was shooting well tonight,” DowDell said. “We’re playing really well at the right time, and that’s what matters most. If we keep playing the way we’ve been playing, we’ve got a great shot at this thing.”
Although not as flashy as DowDell, perhaps the most valuable player on the night was Rylan Jones, a University of Utah commit. Jones, who finished one rebound shy of a triple double, displayed exemplary court vision in distributing pinpoint passes, a feathery touch on his shot and defensive prowess in guiding an Olympus team that appears to be an unstoppable freight train
“We’ve been doing what has been working for us all year,” Jones said. “We’re sharing the ball, playing together, shooting shots when they’re open and playing really hard. That’s been our formula all year.”
Harrison Creer and Spencer Jones, the Titans’ two big men, also found their range from beyond the 3-point arc. Spencer Jones hit 4 of his 5 attempts from distance, while Creer was 2 of 4. Creer finished with 21 points and six rebounds, while Spencer Jones chipped in 14 points and four boards.
Olympus, which never trailed in the contest, led by as many 45 points.