Future Aggies will face off in 4A basketball tourney

Just alerting Utah State fans for the chance to see two future Aggies play each other tomorrow with a shot in the state final on the line.

Sky View and Bountiful will meet Friday at 7:30 p.m. in the semis, fresh off hard-fought wins. That means the Aggies' 2013 wing signee Jalen Moore and 2014 commit guard Sam Merrill will go head-to-head at the Dee Events Center, giving fans an exhibition of Utah State's future talent. They've each played two games in the bracket already, but this is one-stop shopping for those who want to get an eye on new recruits.

Merrill helped bring Bountiful's win streak to 20 straight, scoring 13 points. Chris Kamrani was on hand:

"Pere is a guy that's willing to take a challenge, and he did an awesome job tonight," said junior Sam Merrill, who finished with 13 points.

As did Merrill, who, alongside sophomore forward Zac Seljaas, spearheaded a fourth-quarter comeback after surrendering the lead for the first time in the game with 6 minutes, 21 seconds left.

Merrill followed by drilling a jumper, then he found Seljaas for a wide-open layup and hit three free throws during a fourth quarter where the Braves outscored the Royals 14-9.

"That's the way Sam is," Maxwell said. "He just does what it takes."

Moore scored 16 in the Bobcats' win over Olympus, a state finalist last year. He scored 8 of those points in the final quarter. But, as Tony Jones reports, Sky View's supporting cast helped carry the team:

Moore scored 10 of his 16 points in the second half. He scored eight in the final quarter and added five rebounds and four assists.

But for Sky View, Thursday may be marked by the contributions from Moore's supporting cast. Shooting guard Ty Nielsen scored a game-high 26 points and added five rebounds. Matt Dewey, a 6-5 senior forward, went 5 for 5 from the field on his way to 11 points.

With the game tied at 52-52, it was Dewey who corkscrewed his way into the lane for the layup for a Bobcats lead. The score sparked a 6-0 run, supplying the Bobcats with a 58-52 lead they never would relinquish.

The state tournament is very much a gauntlet for stars to prove themselves. Tomorrow, Merrill and Moore will try to outshine each other, because one team is going home. The winner? Aggies fans.

— Kyle Goon

kgoon@sltrib.com

Twitter: @kylegoon