ST. GEORGE — A pair of Region 9 girls and boys basketball teams are seeded No. 2 going into the 4A Utah state basketball tournament, which tips off Tuesday night with several local teams in action.
Crimson Cliffs at Snow Canyon, Region 9 girls basketball action, St. George, Utah, Jan. 30, 2024 | Photo courtesy of Stan Plewe, St. George News
Both the Snow Canyon girls and the Dixie High boys are seeded second in their respective brackets.
The Lady Warriors, along with Hurricane and Cedar, have first-round byes, as do the Flyers and Snow Canyon on the boys’ side.
The Fan Sports Network will carry three boys’ contests on Wednesday. Games start at 6 p.m. and the matchups and broadcast teams for each follow:
Crimson Cliffs vs Hillcrest, Devin Dixon, Ben Lindquist and Kasey Winters
Desert Hills vs Jordan, Kaden Foremaster and Keith Curtis
Pine View vs Uintah, Paul Ratliff and Connor Collins
Girls state tournament
Snow Canyon’s girls team finished 21-1 and won Region 9 undefeated for the second consecutive season.
The Warriors earned the No. 2 seed at state and open the playoffs at home against the winner of No. 15 Mountain View and No. 18 Bear River.
Pine View’s Hayden Harris and Cedar’s Kenzie Bird battle on the floor for a loose ball in Region 9 girls basketball action, Cedar City, Utah, Feb. 8, 2024 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News
Cedar (17-5, 9-3) earned the No. 3 seed at state and also has a first-round bye. The Reds will start the playoffs at home in the second round against the winner of No. 14 Provo versus No. 19 Pine View.
The remaining three Region 9 teams are all in the same quadrant of the playoff brackets.
Hurricane (13-9, 6-6) earned the No. 8 seed and has a bye in the first round.
No. 9 Dixie takes on No. 24 Park City in the Hangar on Tuesday at 7 p.m. If the Flyers win, they will go to Hurricane in the second round.
Crimson Cliffs is the No. 17 seed and faces No. 16 Tooele on the road in the first round. If they win, the Mustangs will face overall No. 1 seed and defending 4A state champion Ridgeline.
Go here to view the complete 4A girls bracket.
Boys state tournament
“It would be more fun to play different teams,” Dixie head coach Tyler Roberts told St. George News after the brackets were released Saturday morning. “But at the end of the day, it’s the best team that plays the best that night. I really like the bracket.”
Dixie’s Breckon Robinson drives against Pine View in a Region 9 boys basketball game, St. George, Utah, Feb. 7, 2024 | Photo by Aaron Crane, St. George News
Dixie went unbeaten in Region 9 and finished 21-3 overall, earning the No. 2 seed in the tournament.
Dixie’s trajectory to the semifinal round this year opens with possible region rematches. After a first-round bye, the Flyers will host the winner of No. 15 Desert Hills versus No. 18 Jordan.
Then the Flyers face a potential quarterfinal matchup against No. 7 seed Snow Canyon. The Warriors (15-7, 9-3) finished second in Region 9 and earned a bye in the first round.
Snow Canyon opens the playoffs against the winner of No. 10 Mountain View and No. 22 Cedar.
Go here to view the complete 4A boys bracket.
Local 4A state tournament games, Tuesday, Feb. 20 (girls):
Uintah at Desert Hills, 6 p.m.
Park City at Dixie, 7 p.m.
Local 4A state tournament games, Wednesday, Feb. 21 (boys):
Hillcrest at Crimson Cliffs, 6 p.m.
Uintah at Pine View, 6 p.m.
Jordan at Desert Hills, 6 p.m.
Beyond Region 9
In the 3A boys tournament, No. 5 Richfield is in the 2A quarterfinals against No. 4 Manti at 9:30 a.m. Thursday. No. 6 Canyon View was eliminated Saturday, losing 60-58 to No. 11 Union. And it’ll be No. 2 Richfield taking on No. 6 Canyon View in a girls’ quarterfinal game at 5:50 p.m. Both games are at Snow College in Ephraim.
Several Southern Utah girls teams are still alive in the 2A tournament. No. 4 Beaver faces No. 5 South Sevier at 9:10 p.m. Wednesday, No. 2 Kanab plays No. 10 Enterprise at 5:50 p.m.
In the 3A boys tourney, No. 1 Kanab will take on No. 8 Grand County at 11:10 Wednesday, while No. 3 Enterprise has a date with No. 6 at Rockwell at 2:30 p.m.
The 2A quarterfinal, semifinal and final games will be played at America First Event Center on the campus of Southern Utah University in Cedar City.
Sports reporter E. George Goold contributed to this report.
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