5A boys basketball tournament: Hawks soar with fierce defense

OGDEN — In state basketball tournaments, officials usually ease up on their whistles, allowing teams to play more aggressively on defense.

That's perfect for the Alta Hawks.

Alta, year-in and year-out one of the state's top defensive teams, lived up to its reputation in a 50-39 win over Riverton in the first round of the class 5A boys state tournament at Weber State on Monday. The Hawks advance to play undefeated Davis on Wednesday night.

Alta wasted no time in taking control of Monday's game with its defense, forcing the Silverwolves to miss eight of their first 10 shots. The Hawks built a 15-3 lead while Riverton was struggling from the field, and Alta was never in much danger of relinquishing its advantage after that.

"In the past, Alta has had the history of being a defensive-minded team because of (former) coach (Tony) Cannon," said Hawks forward Taylor Brown. "A lot of times, other coaches would take it the wrong way, like we were dirty. I think today we just proved we're really good at defense."

The Hawks kept the Silverwolves off the scoreboard until there was 3:52 left in the first quarter. By then, Alta was ahead 8-0 and the early lead enabled it to dictate the game's tempo. The Hawks weren't exciting or flashy after getting ahead, but they were effective, holding Riverton to just 32.6 percent shooting from the field for the game.

Ammon Olsen and Zach Runia, in particular, were solid on defense, as they neutralized Riverton's guard play.

"Defense picks up in the state tournament," said Alta coach Jim Barker, who picked up his first postseason win as a head coach. "It's a little bit rougher, but I like that because the kids know what they can and can't do."

The Hawks also knew that they could rely on Brown, a four-year starter. He had an impressive double-double with 20 points and 15 rebounds. He was effective at drawing fouls and cashing in at the stripe, as he shot 11-for-13 from the free-throw line.

"It's always important that he plays well for us," Barker said. "He's been in these situations before. Now he's just got to get past the quarterfinals. He hasn't done that before."

No, Brown hasn't advanced past the quarterfinals, but he and the rest of the Hawks will get a chance to when they face unbeaten Davis on Wednesday. Alta has been jinxed by the quarterfinal round, losing in it every year since winning the 5A state title in 2003.

"It's huge," Brown said. "It's been three years, one win and then you're done. It's my senior year, and I want to go further. We have to take it one game at a time and we got Davis."

Top performer: Taylor Brown led Alta with 20 points and 15 rebounds.

Key stat: Riverton was ice cold for much of the game, shooting just 32.6 percent from the field.

Up next: Quarterfinals, Alta vs. Davis, Wednesday, 6 p.m.

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