(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Davis vs Lone Peak, 6A State high school basketball tournament at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City, Thursday March 1, 2018. Steven Ashworth (3) goes off court.
Lone Peak plays with the sort of near-arrogant confidence that comes when a team becomes accustomed to blowing teams out.
That was certainly the case Thursday at the Huntsman Center as the Knights roared to a 35-18 halftime lead over Davis and coasted to a 72-48 win in their Class 6A boys’ basketball state quarterfinal.
That confidence certainly is well earned.
Though Pleasant Grove came close twice, the top-ranked Knights have not been challenged often by Utah teams this season. Nothing seems to phase them as they confidently go about the business of winning.
Lone Peak’s only three losses came against nationally known powers. You get the impression that there is little the state’s most dominant program in recent years hasn’t seen this season.
The Knights had a comfortable lead at the half in this one but got a little sloppy in the third quarter. Davis cut the lead to a manageable 42-29 margin then Steven Ashworth, Max Brenchley and Chantry Ross hit three straight 3-pointers.
That was pretty much the ballgame.
“We looked complacent and missed several easy ones to start the third quarter, which is usually our best quarter,” Lone Peak coach David Evans said. “Tonight it was our worst quarter. Defensively we still played pretty well.”
In fact, Evans ranked this game as perhaps the best defensive game his team has played all season.
“Davis is a good team,” Evans said. “The boys didn’t want to take it lightly. … It was hard for Davis to get into the flow. That spurred what we were doing offensively.”
Lone Peak isn’t a team that struggles much on offense.
Ashworth led the onslaught with 19 points but also added nine rebounds, six assists and four steals to that total in a dominating game.
The Knights also got good games from Jaxon Pollard, who had 14 off the bench, and Jackson Brinkerhoff, who scored 11.
Tyson Garff led Davis with 16 points, while Rich Stucki added 12.
But as Evans said, the Darts never could get into any kind of rhythm. And a Lone Peak team that hasn’t lost to a Utah school seems primed for a run to the title.
LONE PEAK 72, DAVIS 48 <br>• Lone Peak scores early and often to stay unbeaten against Utah teams this season. <br>• The Knights’ Steven Ashworth, Jaxon Pollard and Jackson Brinkerhoff all hit double figures, and Ashworth adds nine rebounds, six assists and four steals. <br>• Tyson Garff leads Davis with 16.