2A boys basketball quarterfinal: Manti edges No. 2 North Summit

RICHFIELD — Trailing by 15 points midway through the third quarter, things looked bleak for the Manti Templars.

Not only were they not playing to their full potential, but they were doing so against the defending state champions and No. 2-ranked team from North Summit. But that didn't stop them from believing in themselves.

"We knew that we could play much better," said senior forward Tylan Jackson. "We weren't doing all the things we knew we needed to coming in. We knew we needed to stay in front of our guys and box out, and we knew if we did that, we could have a good chance."

The Templars started doing all of the things necessary to win as they closed the third period on a 15-0 run. They continued to ride the momentum they had created and cruised to the upset with a 61-56 victory in the 2A quarterfinals.

The Braves showed why they were the co-favorites entering the tournament in the opening two quarters. Caden Richins and Drew Robinson were having their way inside and especially on the offensive glass. Even when Manti would force a miss, it seemed one of them would scoop it up and put it back in as North Summit blazed to a 35-23 halftime lead.

"Richins is an animal in their. He is incredible," said Jackson. "We knew we needed to do a better job against him in the second half."

The lead extended to 42-27 before the Templars put a stop to the Braves' momentum. They started attacking the rim more often and as a result drew the fourth foul on Richins with nearly five minutes remaining in the third quarter. That changed the entire complexion of the game.

"I think momentum is one of the top three things in high school basketball," said Templars coach Mark Hugentobler. "I thought that once we grabbed the momentum we never gave it back to them. Give them credit. They kept fighting hard and hung in there, but we never let them get control again."

Jackson was huge in the big run that got Manti back in it. He hit two key jumpers as well as grabbed a couple of big rebounds.

"That is my favorite shot," Jackson said of the 15-footers he nailed along the baseline. "I practice that shot more than any other."

Manti was led by Griffin Aste's 20 points, 10 of which came from the line as he went 10-for-12, and Jackson pitched in with 17 points. North Summit's Bryer Trussel paced the Braves with 15 points.

Manti moves on to the semifinals today where it fill face Richfield at 9:10 p.m. at the Sevier Valley Center. North Summit faces Millard in the consolation bracket.

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