Sky View boys basketball
Non-region play is officially over for Region 11. We’ve seen great performances, surprises from some teams and disappointments from others. Now with region play set to begin on Thursday, it’s time to take a look and see how all six of the teams fared and how they match up.
Cache Valley Media Group will stream live video for all Region 11 teams with radio broadcasts for all six teams in the region. Live streams can be found on cachevalleydaily.com. Links to each live stream page for each team can be found here.
Bear River
Record: 9-3
RPI Rank: 5th
Points Per Game: 59.3 (10th in 4A)
Points Allowed Per Game: 55.3 (3rd in 4A)
Stat Leaders
- Points – Kyver Jensen (16.4)
- Rebounds – Gehrig Marble (8.1)
- Assists – Kyver Jensen (3.2)
Radio/Video Broadcast: 104.9 FM The Ranch (Audio Link) (Video Link)
Broadcast Crew: Trent Carter (play-by-play) and Josh Theurer (analyst)
The Bears are soaring compared to where they were a year ago. Last season Bear River managed just six wins all year and only four in non-region play. As things stand right now the boys from Garland are the fifth-best team in 4A according to the RPI. That rank and the team’s 9-3 overall record has been built on one of the classification’s best defenses. The 55.3 points allowed per game is third-best in 4A and is the best in Region 11, just a nose ahead of Ridgeline.
Bear River’s offense is the one potential hitch in the team’s plans to completely throw Region 11 on its head. The Bears are 10th in 4A in points per game but they do have Kyver Jensen who ranks eighth in 4A and fourth in Region 11 in points per game at 16.4 per game. Jensen is on a roll in scoring lately with 34 and 25 points in his last two games. The Bears also have the region’s leading rebounder, Gehrig Marble, the only player to average eight-plus rebounds per game.
Sky View
Record: 10-2
RPI Rank: 1st
Points Per Game: 69.2 (3rd in 4A)
Points Allowed Per Game: 57.1 (7th in 4A)
Stat Leaders
- Points – Tanner Davis (15.5)
- Rebounds – Logan Deal (7.8)
- Assists – Tanner Davis (4.0)
Radio/Video Broadcast: 106.9 FM / 1390 AM The FAN (Audio Link) (Video Link)
Broadcast Crew: John Newbold (play-by-play), Ryan Grunig (analyst)
The Bobcats entered the season as the consensus favorites to win the region and have done nothing to dissuade people from that distinction. Sky View has the best point differential in 4A by a long way (+12.1 points per game, next-closest is Dixie’s +10.8) and holding wins over numerous quality squads. So far this season no 4A team has beaten the Bobcats as its two losses have been to 5A schools.
Tanner Davis leads the way for Sky View in points but he’s by no means a one-man show on the team as Logan Deal, Carter Davis and Hayden Howell each average double figures for the Bobcats as well. Deal is also one of the better rebounders in the region, second only to Bear River’s Gehrig Marble.
It’s hard to see anyone in Region 11 being able to stop Sky View’s offense for an entire game. But perhaps there are those who could keep up with them, seeing as the Bobcats’ defense has a middle-of-the-road rank in points allowed per game. Even if that average isn’t inflated by a tough non-region schedule, it’ll be hard for any team in Region 11 to take down the favorites.
Green Canyon
Record: 3-8
RPI Rank: 12th
Points Per Game: 53.5 (13th in 4A)
Points Allowed Per Game: 59.5 (9th in 4A)
Stat Leaders
- Points – Jared Anderson (18.2)
- Rebounds – Isaac Filimoehala (6.7)
- Assists – Kyran Hoffman (3.7)
Radio/Video Broadcast: 100.9 Lite FM (Audio Stream) (Video Link)
Broadcast Crew: Cade Forrest (play-by-play), Terrell Baldwin (analyst)
Things have been tough for the Wolves to start the season, even though the region’s leading scorer, Jared Anderson (18.2 points per game), has been having a breakout junior season. The main culprit has been an overall inefficiency on offense as Green Canyon ranks second-to-last in 4A in points scored per game. And this isn’t a case of everyone-but-the-leading-scorer-is-bad as Anderson himself isn’t exempt since he’s not been super efficient in his scoring.
This could wind up being a development season for the young Green Canyon team. But with an offensive weapon like Anderson on the team, there’s always the possibility the Wolves could knock off unsuspecting teams when they go to North Logan.
Logan
Record: 8-5
RPI Rank: 9th
Points Per Game: 64.2 (6th in 4A)
Points Allowed Per Game: 56.8 (6th in 4A)
Radio/Video Broadcast: 102.1 FM / 610 AM KVNU (Audio Link) (Video Link)
Broadcast Crew: Jason Walker (play-by-play), Logan Webber (analyst)
The Grizzlies appear to be a team that’s capable of looking like the best when playing lower-level teams but may not always be able to beat upper tier teams. Logan is 7-1 against teams with records below .500 but are 1-4 against teams with winning records.
That’s not to say Logan shouldn’t be taken seriously in the race for Region 11. The Grizzlies have an offense that can get going in a real hurry and a stingy defense capable of forcing turnovers in droves. Any team that takes Logan lightly will be forced to watch Justin Anderson – the sixth-leading scorer in 4A and second in Region 11 at 17.5 points per game – drain threes all over the place and see others, like Jordan Child and Jalen Argyle, racing down the court for fast break layups off turnovers forced by its press defense.
Recent games do seem to show the Grizzlies can stand up to good teams, like beating a borderline winning team in Northridge by 18 points and narrowly losing to a now 7-4 Box Elder.
Ridgeline
Record: 9-2
RPI Rank: 4th
Points Per Game: 65.3 (4th in 4A)
Points Allowed Per Game: 55.7 (4th in 4A)
Stat Leaders
- Points – Luke Sorenson (17.2)
- Rebounds – Luke Sorenson (6.8)
- Assists – Cam Blotter (5.8)
Radio/Video Broadcast: 104.5 The Ranch (Audio Link) (Video Link)
Broadcast Crew: Dave Simmons (play-by-play), Nick Zollinger (analyst)
If any team seems equipped to usurp Sky View as the Region 11 favorite it’d have to be Ridgeline. The Riverhawks are a well-balanced team with a top-five offense and top-five defense – the only team in 4A that can claim that distinction. Led by arguably the best big-man in Region 11, Luke Sorenson, the Riverhawks have put together a quality resume to showcase that they should be taken seriously in the race for the region crown.
Along with Sorenson, Ridgeline’s frontcourt also has Carson Cox who averages a solid 13.5 points and 6.7 rebounds himself. And tying it all together has been Cam Blotter who’s averaged a region-best 5.8 assists per game so far this season.
The Riverhawks are on the hunt for a Region 11 four-peat and appear well-equipped to accomplish the feat even in a tough race.
Mountain Crest
Record: 6-6
RPI Rank: 10th
Points Per Game: 57.2 (11th in 4A)
Points Allowed Per Game: 55.7 (5th in 4A)
Stat Leaders:
- Points – Oliver Nethercott (10.6)
- Rebounds – Joseph Hunsaker (5.1)
- Assists – Oliver Nethercott (3.1)
Radio/Video Broadcast: 107.7 KLZX (Audio Link) (Video Link)
Broadcast Crew: Jake Ellis (play-by-play), John Olsen (analyst)
The Mustangs have spent three seasons at the bottom of the Region 11 standings but this year are poised to break that streak. Mountain Crest has one of the better defenses in 4A by points per game and have been competitive in nearly every single game this year. Three of the Mustang losses have been by two points or less, including a close loss to a very good Preston team. Overall, the only loss the Mustangs weren’t competitive in was a 72-44 loss to a solid 5A Box Elder team on the road.
It doesn’t seem likely that the Mustangs will challenge the heavyweights for the region crown, but teams that travel to Hyrum will face a tough, grind-it-out battle with the Mustangs and will certainly have to earn victory against a scrappy team that is very capable of going toe-to-toe with good teams.
