5A boys' basketball: Lone Peak's balance overwhelms Copper Hills

Ogden • What was that about rebuilding? What was that about Lone Peak's reign as the premier program in the state being over? What was that about the Knights being void of their usual abundance of talent?

Yeah, about that.

After handling Copper Hills 88-73 in the Class 5A boys' basketball semifinals Friday at Weber State University, Lone Peak is back in a familiar location: the state championship, where it will face Bingham, the defending champ, at noon Saturday.

"It's phenomenal," Lone Peak coach David Evans said. "I don't think anybody expected us to be very good. The kids are skilled, and when you've got some skilled kids, you can put some stuff together. It's been great."

Added Maxwell McGrath: "It feels good. We've been playing with each other for so long. It's cool to see our team dynamic build this year. It's really cool."

Three players reached the 20-point scoring mark for the Knights: Steven Ashworth (22 points and 10 rebounds), McGrath (21 points) and Nathan Harkness (21 points).

Max Brenchley also reached the double-figure plateau, chipping in 10 points, to showcase Lone Peak has been defined by its depth rather than star power this season.

McGrath also was tasked with guarding Copper Hills' Stockton Shorts. Although Shorts tallied a game-high 28 points, it was difficult to come by consistent offense. He shot 9 of 20 from the field, and 10 points were from the free-throw line.

"How awesome was he tonight," Evans said about McGrath. "I mean the first half, he did everything. I think Stockton had to work really hard for everything."

The Knights (23-4), who are 18-1 against in-state opponents this season with the lone loss against independent power Wasatch Academy, manufactured 20 points off 11 Grizzlies turnovers, and ballooned their lead to as many as 17 points.

"I don't know if I could be more proud," Evans said. "They followed the game plan. We had a couple little lapses, but they did exactly what I asked them to do. They did great."

tphibbs@sltrib.com

Twitter: @trevorphibbs —

Lone Peak 88, Copper Hills 73

R Lone Peak builds a lead as big as 17 points in its semifinal win.

• The only in-state team to beat the Knights this season is powerhouse Wasatch Academy, which plays an independent schedule.

• Lone Peak shoots 50 percent on 3-pointers in the win.