High school basketball: 5A semifinal preview: Alta vs. Fremont

OGDEN – No team has mastered the art of surviving close games quite as effectively as Alta has done throughout the season.

Prior to the Hawks' 63-54 victory over Skyline in the 5A quarterfinals on Wednesday, they had played in 12 games decided by seven points or less. In those dozen wire-to-wire contests, Alta has clawed and scratched its way out with 10 victories.

For the Hawks, it makes a big statement about their ability to be successful against opponents of all shapes and sizes.

"This team just finds a way to win," senior forward Kyle Davis said. "Everyone said we're lucky that we win all these one-point games. But, you know what, this team just finds a way to win. It doesn't matter who it is."

Davis played a huge role in helping Alta (19-4) surviving its latest close call. Davis scored 30 points and pulled down 11 rebounds to help the Hawks hold off a second-half rally by the Eagles. He fell a point shy of matching a season high of 31 points that Davis scored against Lone Peak two months ago.

It was a performance Alta has grown accustomed to seeing from its star and it is exactly what Fremont will need to guard against on Friday afternoon at the Dee Events Center. If any team can slow down Davis, though, the Silver Wolves could be it.

In its 71-70 overtime victory over no. 1 Bingham in the 5A quarterfinals, Fremont (21-2) ran a trio of big men at Miners' standout Ben Clifford and held him to just eight points on 2-of-10 shooting. That same trio – Jacob Nish, Tate Lewis and Brock Smith – combined for 32 points and 21 rebounds.

With that sort of interior domination going on, the Silver Wolves collected 40 rebounds versus 26 for Bingham and allowed the Miners' top two scorers – Clifford and Shad Sommerville – to just shoot 25 percent from the field.

"We played good hard defense," Smith said. "Just got on their main shooters and got down on Clifford so he couldn't score. I honestly think defense was a big part of it."

Establishing itself inside against Fremont could be a tough chore for Alta. The Silver Wolves have won the battle of the boards with virtually every opponent this season because they place a great deal of emphasis on excelling in that area.

Fremont coach Corey Melaney describes his team as a relentless bunch who always expects to win games. That is the factor Melaney thinks makes them so strong on defense.