This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Ogden • After four quarters of listening to fat jokes Thursday, Woods Cross center Austin Bankowski planted his considerable frame into the court at the Dee Events Center and braced for contact.
Olympus guard Tanner Curtis crushed face-first into Bankowski's torso, toppling backward. It was a perfect screen at the perfect moment to give Zach Hunsaker the space he needed. With 18 seconds left in the teams' 4A boys' basketball quarterfinal, the Wildcats' guard cruised in for the winning basket in Woods Cross' 66-65 victory.
"It was a relief," Hunsaker said, to feel Curtis come clean and know he had a clear path to the hoop.
Olympus had one final chance, but guard Sam Williams' top-of-the-key 3-pointer with two seconds left rimmed out.
Woods Cross unexpectedly became the third team from Region 6 to advance to the semifinals Thursday, after Bountiful beat Springville and Highland topped Payson. The Wildcats split regular-season games with Olympus and won a play-in game Saturday to reach the tournament.
Bankowski finished with a season-high 32 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. Throughout the night he was razzed by the Olympus student section, which chanted, "Slim Fast" and "Whopper" when Bankowski was on the foul line.
"They were all over me early," Bankowski said.
In the first half, Olympus fans needed something to cheer about, and Bankowski's size was about the best they had. The Wildcats jumped out to a 40-32 halftime lead.
The Titans bounced back, outscoring the Wildcats 21-12 to start the second half. They claimed the lead at 53-52 with 7:01 remaining in the game, launching a spectacular back-and-forth between the teams.
A three-point play by Colton Stewart, who scored 20 points, put Olympus up 62-59, but was immediately matched by a Jordan Jensen 3-pointer.
"It was a great basketball game," Olympus coach Matt Barnes said. "We were down the whole game, then we kept making plays."
After the loss, the Olympus team sat in the empty arena on the Weber State logo, celebrating the fact they got to be there. Meanwhile, the Woods Cross Wildcats were on their bus, rumbling home to Davis County, on to the semifinals.
Lehi 61, Sky View 50 • Center Colton Colledge overcame a significant size disadvantage to score 24 points and grab 10 rebounds to lead the Pioneers into the semifinals.
The 6-foot-3 Colledge was going up against four players taller than 6-foot-6, including Utah State commit Casey Oliverson.
"When you see 6-8, 6-6 you can't help but think this is going to be a challenge," the junior center said.
"But, hey, it's just another game."
Highland 55, Payson 34 • Steven Divver was exhausted by the time it was over, but his defense on Payson star B.J. Ford helped propel the Region 6 champions into the semifinals, the round in which they have lost each of the past two seasons.
"It's my favorite thing, to defend the other team's best player," Divver said.
Ford scored just nine points despite averaging 18 per game throughout the season. The Lions shot just 21 percent from the field.
Bountiful 51, Springville 37 • McKay LaSalle scored 25 points to lead the Braves to the victory.
Bountiful outscored the Red Devils in each quarter and Springville never led. The Red Devils closed the gap to 26-22 early in the third quarter before the Braves reopened their lead.
While LaSalle starred against Springville, Bountiful got past Timpview in the first round behind 17 points from Dillon Salazar. Thursday, Bountiful coach Mike Maxwell applauded his team's balance.
"We talk about it all the time," he said, "that it's a team that's going to win it."
Tournament coverage online
O Stay up to date on the 5A and 4A boys' basketball tournaments by following TribPreps:
On Twitter • @tribprepsed, @oramb and @tonyaggieville will be tweeting live from the games.
On the live blog • Can't make it to the title games Saturday? Log on via the link on tribpreps.com for play-by-play coverage, beginning at 1:30 p.m.