Knights outgun Bengals, earn repeat title in 5A boys basketball

The result was never really in doubt. After opening and closing the first quarter with 8-0 runs on the way to a 26-10 advantage, the Lone Peak boys basketball team rained on Brighton’s parade – literally, with 14 treys – to eliminate any shot for the Bengals to pull off an upset.
As a result, for an unprecedented second time in five years, the Knights earned back-to-back 5A championships with a 68-38 victory Saturday evening at the Maverik Center in West Valley City.
“That score is not indicative of the quality of Brighton’s team,” said Lone Peak coach Quincy Lewis. “Sometimes when a team gets on a roll like this, it just snowballs.
“Coach Jeff Gardner has done a great job with his team this year,” Lewis added. “To reach the title game in his first year there really says a lot.”
For his own team, the keys were pretty simple: Play team defense and share the ball.
“We have some great players, but it takes every guy doing his part to make this happen,” the coach said.

As examples, he gave one factor from behind the scenes and another demonstrated during the title contest.

“At the beginning of the season, we gave (reserve seniors) Mason Squires and Cameron Gibbons the responsibility to play against Nick Emery and TJ Haws in every practice,” Lewis explained.
“We told them to beat on them and foul them every which way so that it would be a relief for them to play in games just to get away from those guys,” he said. “They are a big part of the reason those two are so tough.”

During Saturday’s game, Talon Shumway got his third foul in the fourth minute of the first quarter. Connor Toolson came in to relieve him, and he was quickly in foul trouble himself, with two partway through the second.
Enter Zach Frampton. Playing out of position, he took a pass from Brody Berry and stuck a trey – the eighth of the first half for the Knights. A play like that can really take the starch out of an opponent.
“We were in some trouble there, and Zach comes in and makes that shot,” Lewis said. “We just flat-out smoked them. We never expect to play like that, but I can’t think of a better way to end the season. These guys paid the price, and got their reward.”
With four treys and three assists apiece, Haws led all scorers with 24 points and six rebounds, while Emery added 16 with five boards and two steals.
Despite playing just 16 minutes, Talon Shumway scored 13, including three treys, with three assists and three steals. Berry had six points, six assists and four rebounds, and Chase Hansen had four points and six boards.
Beky Beaton can be reached at bbeaton@heraldextra.com. Follow her on Twitter at @BeatonWrite.
Lone Peak 68, Brighton 38
Brighton (38)
Eixenberger 7, Devashrayee 3, Wertz 11, Miller 10, Nisson 2, Callahan 5. Totals 13 10-13 38.
Lone Peak (68)
Haws 24, Shumway 13, Hansen 4, Emery 16, Berry 6, Toolson 2, Frampton 3. Totals 25 4-5 68.
Brighton 10 7 12 9 — 38
Lone Peak 26 21 16 5 — 68

3 point goals: Brighton 2 (Wertz 2); Lone Peak 14 (Haws 4, Emery 4, Shumway 3, Berry 2, Frampton).