Boys basketball: Highland shakes off slow start to upset Bountiful 71-60 in 5A first round

OGDEN — When Highland forward Jackson Hawes air-balled his first open 3-point attempt things appeared to be headed south quickly for No. 4 seed Highland in taking on No. 1 seed Bountiful in the first round of the 5A playoffs on Tuesday. But Hawes shook it off in quick fashion and rallied to lead his team with 17 points scored for the game, with his team following suit.

The result was a 71-60 win for the Rams, who undoubtedly got better with each passing minute, which isn't atypical for them, according to Highland coach Jim Boyce.

"We start like that occasionally, so we're used to it," Boyce said. "There was maybe a bit of nerves, and maybe Bountiful had something to do with it, but we've had starts like that in the past and we've overcome them."

The start of Tuesday's game had the Braves run out to a quick 9-0 lead with the Rams looking all but helpless on both ends, typified by Hawes' airball. But as mentioned, Hawes gathered himself quickly, scored his team's first points of the afternoon and swished through his very next 3-point attempt as Highland worked its way back into the game.

"I was making everything in warmups, but I guess sometimes it's sort of like that," Hawes said. "But I watched the second one go in and that felt really good."

Hawes' first 3-point make cut Bountiful's lead to 20-14 early in the second quarter before a 3-pointer from Nate Warr brought the Rams all the way back to end the half up 32-31. The Rams did so not by any shrewd coaching adjustments, at least according to Boyce, but by just keeping at it and believing in what they do.

"At this point of the season we just let them play," Boyce said. "We let them find their way out of it and usually they do, at least for the last five or six games that we've had."

A big key for Highland was being patient with Bountiful's high-pressure and aggressive defense. Time and again the Rams would work the ball until finding an easy look underneath the basket, with point guard Liki Makaui leading the way in that regard.

"Liki's a three-year starter and you just let him do his thing," Boyce of of Makaui, who finished with 12 points, eight rebounds and six assists. "We've relied on him so much over the years and he's just so solid with the ball in his hands."

Indeed, Highland was at its best in the fourth quarter, outscoring Bountiful 26-16 to pull the upset and usher in a raucous postgame celebration where Makaui narrowly avoided injury.

"It was crazy. It was chaotic and I almost got a concussion being knocked around," Makaui said with a laugh. "It was just fun. It was exciting."

Also contributing big for Highland were Christian Rich and Bronson Olevao who added 14 and 15 points, resepectively. Brig Willard led the way for Bountiful with his team-high 18 points.

With the win Highland moves on to the quarterfinal round where it will take on Corner Canyon on Thursday.

from Deseret News https://ift.tt/2EAPA5v