High school basketball: Braves turn back Titans, take over sole possession of Region 6 lead

BOUNTIFUL — During the last two minutes of Bountiful High's 54-51 victory over Olympus on Friday night, it was the team you didn't expect that played with the most composure.

McKay LaSalle scored 19 points and he and Nick Williams nailed six straight free throws between them in the final seconds to lift the Braves to the Region 6 victory, taking over sole possession of first place.

"It was execution to the end," explained Bountiful coach Mike Maxwell. "We got the shots we wanted, and we were able to double-team them on force turnovers. The kids have grown up."

Bountiful's kids — and there's not a senior among them — took the early lead, gave it up early in the fourth quarter and then rallied back. With the win, the Braves moved to 10-5 overall and 6-0 in region, and earned a lot more respect than they had previously.

"That's what a tough preseason schedule will do for you," Maxwell said. "We know how to win games. Now we have to go and prove it."

Olympus coach Matt Barnes said the Braves played well on their home court, where they are 6-1 this season.

"They made the plays when they needed to," said Barnes, whose team dropped to 13-2 overall and 5-1 in region. Olympus also saw its 10-game winning streak come to an end.

Few people saw this upset coming, but they might have if they knew all the facts.

The Titans lost guard Spencer Harris earlier in the week to a torn ACL. He is expected to be out for the remainder of the season. Then on Thursday, guard Joe Bourne suffered a broken ankle in practice. Barnes said he hopes Bourne will return later this season, but admitted the chances are slim.

"We played passive tonight," Barnes said. "We didn't have Joe, but the other guys have to step up."

At least one player did.

Manny Riak came off the bench and led Olympus with 14 points. He hit 5-of-5 shots from the field, including a 3-pointer that briefly gave Olympus the lead in the fourth quarter.

"We had a chance," Barnes said. "We had them on the ropes."

But Bountiful's Dan Prawitt answered with a big rebound basket, and then fed Nick Williams with a beautiful pass that led to another score, and the Braves were able to answer the challenge.

Sam Williams started in place of Bourne. He had a nice floor game and finished with eight points. Still, it was apparent some chemistry was missing. The Titans had trouble solving Bountiful's full-court pressure and had 16 turnovers — twice as many as the home team.

Nicholas Paulos, Olympus' leading scorer at just under 17 points per game, managed just eight. He missed his first five shots and wasn't a factor until hitting a 3-pointer with three seconds left that cut Bountiful's margin to one.

On the other hand, LaSalle and Dillon Salazar found their shot. LaSalle finished with five 3-pointers, including a couple that were beyond NBA range. He and Salazar provided most of Bountiful's offense in the first half. Salazar finished with 12 points.