4A high school basketball: Defense, rebounding pace Sky View past Olympus

SMITHFIELD — Teams that score 15 points in a half and 46 in a game usually find themselves on the losing end of the scoreboard against Olympus.

But when you play defense and rebound the way Sky View did on Tuesday night, those point totals were plenty. The Bobcats rode their team strengths to a stunning 46-41 win over Olympus in the second round of the 4A state tournament, eliminating a team that's been expected to advance deep into the playoffs since the season began.

Sky View advances to play Timpview in the 4A quarterfinals on Thursday.

"That's what we thrive on is our defense," said Sky View senior Nick Eskelson, who played suffocating defense on Olympus top-scorer Nick Paulos. "That's what's won us games all year. We counted on our defense and it came through for us."

It came through for the Bobcats throughout the contest. Sky View held Olympus to just two baskets in the first quarter and a total of 12 points in the first half. The Titans' 41 points tied their second-lowest total of the season.

The Bobcats also demolished the Titans on the boards, holding an 11-3 edge in offensive rebounds and a 36-26 total advantage.

"Rebounding and defense has been the key to our success and I thought we got another good performance there tonight," said Sky View coach Kevin Andersen. "In our pregame we said the top thing we got to do is rebound the ball and limit their possessions. One way to do that is not giving them second chances."

The Bobcats' defense kept Olympus out of sync for much of the game. The Titans rushed shots, made sloppy passes and committed too many turnovers.

"It was a physical game and we didn't get any breaks," said Olympus coach Matt Barnes. "They made the plays."

The Titans played from behind for almost the entire game, only leading for about 2 minutes in the second quarter. But it was still anyone's game going into the fourth quarter, as it was tied 23-23.

It didn't stay that way for long. Brian Godfrey drained a 3-pointer to give the Bobcats a 26-23 lead on their first possession of the fourth period. Sky View held Olympus to just one basket during the first 4 minutes of the fourth, stretching its lead to 32-25 with 3:50 remaining when Kyler Carlsen scored on a fast-break layup.

The Bobcats took their biggest lead of the game at 41-28 at the end of a 9-1 run.

"We came in knowing we could win this," Carlsen said. "They were a second seed, we're a second seed. We're as good as them. We played some great defense, shut them down tonight."

Sky View had a balanced scoring effort, as nine players scored and none of them reached double figures. Brad Lenkersdorfer and Carlsen each had eight points. Carlsen scored all of his points in the second half.