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Steven Divver stood straight up, craning his neck to watch the path of the ball Olympus guard Sam Williams had just flung toward the basket.
As the ball peaked much too soon and fell short, Divver turned, throwing his arms up in celebration and sprinting back to the mob that formed from Highland Rams' bench as time expired.
The reward for a job well done.
The Rams beat Olympus on Friday, 53-50, for the first time since 2006. The Rams held the host Titans to just three points in the fourth quarter and Williams — who going into the game averaged 12.7 points per game — scoreless.
Highland overcame a deficit that reached eight points in the second half behind timely shooting and suffocating defense to improve to 5-1 in tough Region 6.
"That right there is team defense," forward Nate Fakahafua said.
Olympus possessed the ball for the final minute of the game, after two free throws by Highland guard Sam Orchard put the Rams up by three. The Titans, however, seemed flustered by Highland's pressure, and Divver never let Williams get a clean look at the basket.
"Coach [Keith] West told us last week that [Williams] was the key to their offense, and I got really excited," Divver said.
Olympus called a timeout with 4.6 seconds remaining — although the clock continued to run and the Rams believed they had won — and after the inbounds pass, Williams was trapped in the corner and was forced to hoist a shot that never had much of a chance.
"I thought Steven did an amazing job on Williams," West said. "He [Divver] is so important to what we do."
While Williams struggled, Olympus forward Will Cannon exploded for 17 points, while forward Colton Stewart stuck to his average and scored 15.
Orchard led the Rams with 19 points and Fakahafua scored 11 points — all in the first half. Fakahafua, who has orally committed to play football at the University of Utah next year, played while Utes coach Kyle Whittingham and new offensive coordinator Norm Chow watched from the front row.
Highland didn't lead until Orchard hit a 3-pointer with 4:20 remaining in the game. On the previous possession, sophomore David Divver hit a 3 to close the gap to 47-45.
Two plays later, 6-foot-6 center Lew Evans made yet another 3-pointer.
All five of Highland's 3-point baskets came in the second half.
Olympus entered the game 4-1 in the region, and coming off a huge win over Bountiful — which had beat Highland a week earlier. Friday's game did nothing but further mess up the standings in what has emerged as Class 4A's toughest region.
"This shows that every night you've got to do your best," Divver said.
boram@sltrib.comTwitter: @oramb —
Highlights
R Highland holds Olympus to just three points in the fourth quarter.
• Before Friday, Highland's last win against Olympus was 54-41 on Feb. 10, 2006.
• Four teams in Region 6 have two or fewer losses. —
Photo gallery
O For more photos of the Highland-Olympus game, visit