Reds, Mustangs, Panthers all win in Coach Walker Classic; teams now turn to Region 9 schedule

ST. GEORGE — Three Region 9 boys basketball teams won on the last day of the Coach Walker Classic basketball tournament, setting the stage for region play to start next week.

Pine View went undefeated at the tournament it hosts annually in St. George as a pre-region extravaganza featuring 19 of the best teams in Utah.

Meanwhile, the Dixie Flyers (6-1), who did not play in the tournament, have a couple of big wins already and are established as the pre-region frontrunners after back-to-back second-place finishes at the 4A state tournament.

Following are recaps from Region 9 games in Saturday’s final day of the Coach Walker Classic.

Cedar 62, Spanish Fork 52

The Reds (2-8) bounced back with a 10-point win and finished the tournament 2-1.

Easton Albrecht lit up the scoreboard for Cedar, leading all scorers in the contest with 29 points including four 3-pointers. Landon Kreitzer chipped in with 21 points and two 3’s in the win.

Tate Stubbs also made his presence known for Cedar, throwing in nine points and a trey.

Cedar overcame a 30-23 halftime advantage by dominating the Dons 39-22 in the second half to secure the win.

Crimson Cliffs 82, Cottonwood 61

Crimson’s Sean Felts shoots against Riverton in a Coach Walker Classic basketball game, Washington, Utah, Dec. 15, 2023 | Photo by E. George Goold, St. George News

The Mustangs (5-5) recovered from a tough loss Friday night and handled the Colts. It was Crimson’s sole win at the Coach Walker Classic.

Big man Sean Felts led the way from Crimson, throwing in a game-high 29 points to pace the Mustangs win.

Scoop Johnson sank a 3-pointer and finished with 15 points for the winners while Drake Carroll canned three treys and chipped in with 13 points in the win.

The Mustangs jumped ahead 24-15 after the first quarter and enjoyed a 44-28 lead at halftime and the hole was too deep for the Colts to climb out of.

Pine View 75, Payson 53

The Panthers (6-3) were a perfect 3-0 at the Coach Walker Classic after rolling to a convincing win Saturday evening in the Pit.

Pine View wasted no time, jumping ahead 16-8 after the first and then taking a 34-27 lead into the intermission.

Senior Nash Schroeder continued to sizzle on the offensive end, leading the Panthers with 19 points including a 3-pointer. Cohort Griffen Shepherd sank 17 in the Pine View win.

Adam Moore, who moonlights as the Panthers quarterback during the football season, is getting his basketball legs under him and also scored 17 points for the winners, including four 3-pointers.

Five other Panthers scored at least a bucket against the Lions and Pine View continued to spread the scoring around among its players.

Kamika Wesley led all scorers in the contest, netting 20 points for Payson in the setback.

Green Canyon 71, Desert Hills 64

Desert Hills senior Jackson Holman dribbles against Green Canyon in a Coach Walker Classic basketball game, St. George, Utah, Dec. 16, 2023 | Photo by E. George Goold, St. George News

The Thunder (5-4) saw its two-game win streak in the tournament snapped after Region 11’s Wolves remained unbeaten to start the season 10-0.

The teams battled to a 15-15 tie after the first period but Green Canyon started sinking shots in the second to take a 34-29 lead at halftime.

The Wolves upped that lead to 52-44 going into the fourth and final quarter of play and held on to win.

Desert Hills succeeded in getting to the basket, making 11-of-13 free throws. Green Canyon posted a 4-of-5 showing from the line.

Jared Anderson plagued the Thunder all game, scoring a game-high 25 points for the Wolves including three from downtown. Layker Ward complemented his teammate nicely with 16 points and two 3’s for the winners.

Meanwhile Desert Hills was led by three double-digit scorers. Eli Allred was the high man with 19 points, Jackson Holman sank five 3-pointers and netted 18 points and Ben Chase completed the Thunder trifecta with 16 points including four 3’s.

Riverton 55, Snow Canyon 44

The 6A Silverwolves went 3-0 at the Coach Walker Classic and improved to 5-1 to start the season.

Meanwhile the Warriors (3-3) did not win a game at the tournament while without the services of star Owen Mackay, who sat out after sustaining an injury in practice.

Riverton used strong first and fourth quarters to secure the victory. They took a 20-12 lead after one session and enjoyed a 30-21 lead at halftime.

Snow Canyon got back into the contest with a 16-10 third frame but Riverton responded with a 15-7 final quarter to take the win home.

The Warriors got 17 points from senior Drey Smith, the lone Snow Canyon player to register double-digit scoring. Senior Trey Kelsch scored eight points and senior Damon Ence tallied six points off of two 3-pointers in the setback.

Region 9 opening night schedule

With the conclusion of the Coach Walker Classic, Region 9 teams now turn their attention to the region slate, scheduled to tip off Wednesday, Dec. 20.

Hurricane at Cedar, 7 p.m.
Dixie at Crimson Cliffs, 7 p.m.
Desert Hills at Pine View, 7 p.m.

Follow St. George News Sports for complete coverage of the Region 9 schedule and find live streams of games at The Fan Sports Network.

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