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Sandy • Outmatched in length and athleticism against undefeated Kearns, a bonafide championship contender in the 4A classification, Jordan found itself trailing by eight points midway through the third quarter.
The game was teetering on the edge of a blowout until Spencer Curtis twined his first 3-pointer. Then he hit another. And another. And then another. The junior guard concluded the third period with triples on four straight possessions, fueling the Beetdiggers' 67-63 upset victory on their home floor on Friday night.
"After my first shot," Curtis said confidently, when asked if he knew when he found the zone.
Curtis erupted for 30 second-half points, finishing with a game-high 36, while adding five 3-pointers during Jordan's 20-0 run in the third and fourth quarters to flip the eight-point deficit into a 12-point advantage.
"They're athletic and really shoot the ball well and they've got a really good big guy, and that's a combination that's hard to guard," said 'Diggers coach Trace Bevell. "We did a pretty good job defensively; we guarded well. Spencer shot it well tonight — the best he's shot it in awhile. Hopefully his confidence is back."
Jordan continued to drain contested shots from deep, but it was the easiest shot in basketball, 15 feet from the hoop, that nearly became an undoing for the 'Diggers. Numerous errant free-throw attempts, including several on the front end of the 1-and-1 situation, allowed Kearns to creep back and eventually pull even at 63-63 on consecutive 3-pointers by Mikey Hernandez, the second with 15.7 seconds remaining after Curtis connected on 1 of 2 shots at the stripe.
"Normally we're a good free-throw shooting team, and we don't have to worry about it," Bevell said, "but when your best two shooters miss front ends, and then they go hit a 3 — that's a five-point swing. That's what got them back in it."
Curtis drew a personal foul on a hard slash to the basket with 2.3 seconds remaining, and this time he delivered by hitting both freebies. Kearns' ensuing inbounds pass sailed out of bounds, allowing Stockton Christensen to preserve the win with two more free throws.
"It's a big confidence builder," Curtis said. "It means that we can keep going and we can come back from any deficit."
Jordan shot poorly in the first half, and long rebounds fed Kearns' appetite for running. The Cougars are hardly effective in the halfcourt setting, an area of weakness exposed in the second half when Jordan finally clamped down. But if not for several missed layups following turnovers, Kearns could have enjoyed a sizable advantage. Instead it led 25-23 at intermission. Tayler Marteliz (16 points), Hernandez (14), Kur Kuath (13) and Nick Valles (10) each reached double-figure point totals for the Cougars (6-1).
"We're a defensive-oriented team," Bevell said. "If we're able to make shots, we're a good team. We've got to find ways to grind out wins. This is a grind-out win. It was a gut check for these guys. They fell forward and did a good job at the end."
Jordan (3-2) collectively totaled nine 3-pointers, five from Curtis, and two from Sam Ashman (8 points), who connected in the first quarter.
Twitter: @trevorphibbs —
Storylines
R Spencer Curtis erupts for 30 points in the second half and finishes with 36 to lead Jordan over Kearns.
The Beetdiggers use a 20-0 run in the third and fourth quarters to flip an eight-point deficit into a 12-point lead.
Jordan hits nine 3-pointers collectively.