Girls

Highland 39, Mt. Crest 21

LOGAN, Utah - The Highland girls' basketball team relied on a solid defensive effort for the second consecutive game to defeat Mountain Crest 39-21 at the Sky View tournament Friday.

Mountain Crest, a school from Hiram, Utah, didn't score more than eight points in any quarter and managed just eight field goals for the game. Highland shot 18-for-47, an improvement over its 17-for-70 showing in its 37-23 win over Box Elder on Thursday.

In each game, the Rams' defense has rendered their shooting percentage irrelevant.

"We played well defensively; that's one thing we've done all year," Highland coach Scott Hansen said. "We've caused a little problem with some teams with our quickness on defense."

Kylie Hardison led the Rams with nine points. Highland (7-0) continues tournament play with a game today against Logan.

North Gem 63, Oakley 37

OAKLEY - North Gem blew away Oakley 62-37 on Friday with a complete effort on both the offensive and defensive ends.

The Cowboys built a 15-6 lead in the first quarter with their man-to-man full-court defense before switching to a zone the rest of the way, and the Hornets never recovered.

On offense, sophomore Bailey Simmons led the Cowboys with 25 points, hitting one baseline jumper after another.

"They just kept leaving her open, and she just kept hitting it," North Gem coach Corry Hatch said. "She's always really skilled, but I've never seen her score like this."

North Gem (3-2) next travels to play North Fremont today.

Grace 49, North Fremont 47

ST. ANTHONY - Both the Grace girls' basketball team and its opponent from North Fremont completely dominated for a quarter in their matchup Friday night.

In the end, though, it was the Grizzlies who prevailed, as they won 49-47 thanks to a layup by Nikki Hobbs in the closing seconds.

In the first quarter, Grace jumped out to a 20-8 lead and increased that advantage to 34-19 at the half. However, Huskies clawed back into the game by outscoring the Grizzlies 16-5 in the third.

"Our kids played good defense and controlled the boards (early). Then, we got out running ," said Grace coach Kevin Smith. "We kind of lost focus in the third quarter but brought it back in the fourth."

Kylee Jensen led the Grizzlies' balanced attack with 15 points, and Lacey Jensen added 11. It was Hobbs who had the biggest basket of the night, though, as her shot with 12 seconds left propelled Grace (6-0) to the win.

The 2A Grizzlies will put their perfect mark to the test Wednesday when they host 3A Bear Lake.

boys' basketball

Bear Lake 70, Soda Springs 64

SODA SPRINGS - Jordan Crane scored 29 points and the Bear Lake boys' basketball team defeated Soda Springs 70-64 on the road Friday.

Soda Springs dropped to 0-2 with the loss.

Alex Maughan led Soda Springs in scoring with 21 points, and the Cardinals had a chance to force overtime late. But missed free throws did in Soda Springs.

"We missed six straight free throws in the last two minutes," coach Greg Bergholm said. "We had our chances, we just didn't take advantage."

American Falls 56, Kimberly 53

AMERICAN FALLS - It took two overtimes, but the American Falls boys' basketball team picked up a big win against Kimberly 56-53 on Friday.

The Beavers held Kimberly to just two points in the first overtime period to keep the game tied, then pulled away in the second.

"We hit some clutch free throws and pulled away from there," American Falls coach Roger Thomas said. "Kimberly is one of the top teams in the state, so to win this one was obviously big for us."

With the victory, American Falls improved to 2-0 with a game at Soda Springs looming on Wednesday.

Nate Villalobos led the Beavers in scoring with 19 points.

Rich County 55, Grace 51

GRACE - The Grace boys' basketball team's fourth-quarter comeback fell short in a 55-551 home loss to Rich County (Utah) on Friday.

The Grizzlies trailed 46-36 entering the fourth quarter and outscored their Utah opponents 15-9 in the final period, but it wasn't enough.

"We came back and missed some easy shots down the stretch to tie it," Grace coach Rory Lloyd said.

Cody Christensen led the Grizzlies with 11 points. Grace (0-2) next travels to play Bear Lake on Wednesday.

Pocatello 57, Burley 50

BURLEY - Pocatello held Burley to just three free throws in the fourth quarter for a come-from-behind, 57-50 win at Burley on Friday.

The Bobcats outscored the Indians 21-11 in the third quarter to take a 47-44 lead entering the final period. The Indians scored several quick baskets early in the quarter to take the lead, and the Bobcats never recovered.

"We probably had a little bit more composure than Burley did, and we were able to finish it off in the fourth quarter," Pocatello coach Lee Ralphs said.

Ryan Pearson scored eight of his 12 points in the fourth quarter, while Michael Decker scored the Indians' remaining five in the period. Decker ended up with 11 points, while Colter Morton and Zac Korrell also finished in double figures.

Pocatello (1-1) next travels to play Wood River on Wednesday.

Rockland 54, Rimrock 37

BLISS - The Rockland boys' basketball team displayed a balanced offense and a deep bench in its season-opening 54-37 win over Rimrock on Friday at the Bliss Invitational.

After a tight first quarter, the Bulldogs pulled away in the second quarter, when they outscored the Raiders 19-2.

"We had fresh legs come in, and we figured out what they were doing on offense," said Rockland coach Dan Ralphs. "We were able to stop them with our man-to-man pressure."

Jake Spillett and Tyrel Turley led the Bulldogs, as they both scored 12 points. Overall, eight Rockland players scored baskets.

"That's real important for us to spread it around a little bit," Ralphs said. "It's nice to have a bench. My young kids came in and played well."

Today, the Bulldogs will play Castleford at 7:30 p.m. for the tournament title.

Blackfoot 66, Preston 53

PRESTON - The Preston boys' basketball team got off to a slow start and couldn't recover in a 66-53 loss to Blackfoot at home Friday.

The Broncos led 17-7 after one quarter, and the closest the Indians got was within eight points in the third quarter.

"Defensively, they got after us, but we didn't help ourselves by taking care of the ball," Preston coach Ryan Young. "We turned the ball over right off the bat and gave them some easy baskets that gave them confidence."

Chaz Spackman and Koltyn Hobbs each scored 15 to lead Preston. The Indians (1-2) next host Hillcrest on Wednesday.

Sho-Ban 66, Deitrich 54

DEITRICH - The Sho Ban boy's basketball team moved to within one game of winning an early-season tournament in Deitrich by defeating Deitrich 66-54 on Friday.

The Chiefs play for the tournament title today.

Against Deitrich, Magic Smith scored 35 points to lead Sho-Ban to the win.

Chiefs coach Merle Smith, though, said Sho-Ban's press is what gave the team a win.

"I liked our press," he said. "We used it to build a lead of more than 20 points in the second half. We need more balanced scoring, but our defense was really good."

With the win, Sho-Ban improved to 3-0.