High school boys basketball: Alta outlasts Davis in low-scoring contest

SANDY — For 32 minutes Friday night, Alta and Davis redefined what it means to play an ugly basketball game.

The two teams combined for an endless parade of bad shots, missed free throws and untimely turnovers. It was not the sort of hoops action that could be considered crowd pleasing by any stretch of the imagination.

But the Hawks took a glass half-full approach to how everything played out.

"We had a good game," senior forward Nate Nielsen said. "The fans probably didn't like it, but it was a fun game to play in."

Coming out with a 34-25 victory over the Darts no doubt did much to brighten Alta's spirits. The Hawks' offensive stat line certainly looked frightening enough to dampen them. As a team, they shot only 35 percent from the field and mustered only 59 percent from the line.

But as bad as those numbers appeared, things turned out even more abysmal for Davis. The Darts shot only 27 percent from the field and did not score a third of their total points until the game's final minute.

Alta coach Jim Barker thought his team put in an ugly defensive effort in their season-opening victory over Spanish Fork. The Hawks, he said, gave up too many easy baskets in transition and off back-door plays.

Barker is more than willing to sacrifice offensive beauty if it leads to defensive effectiveness.

"I always worry about defense early in the season," Barker said. "If you can get that solid, the offense will come along as the season goes."

It didn't take long for a defensive tempo to set in. After James Cowser put in a layup to give Davis a 2-0 lead, the Darts proceeded to miss 13 of their next 14 shots from the field.

They went nearly eight minutes without a point — a drought not broken until Cowser's second basket — a driving layup — with 25.6 seconds left before halftime.

Things did not unfold much better for Alta. The Hawks had more turnovers (6) than field goals (4) in the first half. Still, they did just enough at the start of the second quarter to take a 10-7 lead into the locker room.

Jordan Black sank a 19-foot jumper to give Alta a 6-5 lead a minute into the quarter. Then, after a steal by Jed Deleeuw, Nielsen drained a three-pointer to give the Hawks a four-point advantage.

Alta did not score another field goal for the final 6:22 of the first half, but came out strong again to start the fourth quarter.