Mountain Crest upset ends Woods Cross win streak

WOODS CROSS — Mountain Crest had some forgettable losses in the preseason, but the defeats were forgivable because of the team's youth.

With region play underway and inexperience no longer a factor, the Mustangs, who start two seniors and have just four seniors on their roster, took a big step toward growing up on Tuesday night.

Mountain Crest upset third-ranked Woods Cross 50-45 and snapped the Wildcats' 10-game winning streak. The teams are now tied for first place at 3-1 in Region 5.

From the outset, it was apparent that Mountain Crest believed it could defeat the Wildcats. The Mustangs jumped out to a six-point lead in the first four minutes of the game, and didn't allow Woods Cross to make a basket until there was 4:06 left in the first quarter.

"During warm-ups it seemed like they kind of thought we weren't going to come out and fight," said Mountain Crest sophomore Matt Stewart, who scored a team-high 14 points. "We showed what we could do."

What Mountain Crest showed is that it can slow down just about any offense in the state. Woods Cross never got into any kind of rhythm on offense, and especially in the fourth quarter. The Mustangs held the Wildcats to just nine points in the fourth.

Mountain Crest made just two field goals in the game's final six minutes, but was still able to pull out the victory. Kyle Andersen helped the Mustangs avoid a disaster when he scored on a tip-in off of a missed foul shot by teammate Seth Coombs with 41 seconds remaining in the contest.

The Mustangs only led by one point when Coombs went to the free-throw line. Woods Cross had scored on its previous two possessions to trim a five-point deficit to one. A defensive rebound would have put the Wildcats in position to win, but Andersen's basket kept the Mustangs in command.

Mountain Crest coach Jim Crosbie said his team's youth was evident at times in the preseason. The Mustangs struggled to put together full four-quarter efforts in some games. But those days are behind Mountain Crest, which can now have realistic league championship expectations after beating the Wildcats.

Coombs had 13 points for Mountain Crest while playing much of the game with a gash on his chin. Tyler Stahle led Woods Cross with 14 points.

Many 4A basketball fans will probably be surprised by Mountain Crest's win, but Stewart said don't count the Mustangs among them.

"We shared the ball and played as a team, rebounded, hustled," Stewart said. "Blue-collar stuff."

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