From Deseret News archives:
Am. Fork's 'senior moment': Cavemen handle Bulldogs
The parents and grandparents were out in full force, the student body had the auditorium filled to capacity and all six seniors saw to help the Cavemen cap off the night with a 77-59 win over Provo.
In addition, the Cavemen got a little tutoring from an old mentor on Thursday that head coach Doug Meacham said will help his team create the perfect finish to their storybook season.
"Last night we had coach (Bob) Eccles in our practice helping us make some adjustments with our zone," he said. "Some of the things he tweaked with our zone offense gave us great movement and we were more active. That was a great help to have advice from my former coach who understands the game and has been around for 30-plus years."
The Cavemen moved the ball around fluidly all night to break away from the Bulldogs in the second quarter, hitting shots inside and outside for a 40-27 lead at halftime, and never allowing Provo to get any closer in the second half.
American Fork's scoring trio of Brenan Davis, Rick Shoff and Clayton Searle took control of the game from the outset. The seniors each scored in double-digits before halftime, combining for all but five of the Cavemen's points, which belonged to junior Austin Haws.
Shoff finished with a game-high 23 points, just ahead of Davis at 22, while Searle had 16 points.
"(Brenan) is a scoring guard with a pass-first mentality, and that's really what helps us get good shots," Meacham said. "I thought Clayton and Rick worked well together inside. They screened for each other in the zone."
Meacham was also complimentary of his team's defense, especially against Provo forward Tanner Gregory, who did not score until the fourth quarter and was held to four points. Kenyn Koop led the way for the Bulldogs with 16 points, and Tyler Miller contributed 12 points.
"We are so aggressive sometimes guys get around us, but I can't fault them for their effort," he said. "I thought for the most part we limited them to tough shots."
With Region 6 all but locked up, Meacham said he is proud of his players' ability to keep their focus on finishing the season and making a long run in the playoffs.
"As you get towards the end, each game gets bigger," he said. "The first thing we write up on the board is Payson. Our seniors have brought a level of intensity to our program that hopefully young players can learn from them."
