From Deseret News archives:
High school boys basketball: Center leads unbeaten Riverton over Pleasant Grove
Thomas put on 20 pounds of muscle since last season in order to become a key contributor and an inside banger for the Silverwolves. He spent less time working on his shot during the summer, and more of it on getting tougher.
His hard work is paying off, as Thomas poured in a career-high 18 points to lead the Silverwolves to a 59-49 victory over the Vikings. The win improved Riverton's record to 6-0 while disappointing Pleasant Grove dropped to 3-3.
Thomas, Riverton's 6-foot-7, 205-pound center, started fast, as he scored nine of his points in the first quarter. After making a 3-pointer and a layup, he put Riverton up 19-9 with five minutes left in the second quarter. At the time, Thomas had outscored the Vikings by himself, 14-9.
"Ryan's our most improved player since last season," said Riverton coach Steve Galley. "He's worked really hard. He's having a solid year for us."
It's exactly what Thomas envisioned during his summer workouts.
"It was not easy," said Thomas, who worked out for 2-3 hours daily during the summer. "I keep on climbing steps, getting better every game."
The same can be said for the Silverwolves, who despite being undefeated have yet to crack the state's rankings. Riverton isn't feeling snubbed about not being ranked, and mostly because it believes it can play better than what it has.
"We haven't lost, but we really haven't felt like we've played well," Galley said. "I felt like we really tried to focus on getting better defensively. I'm proud of the kids because I thought they did that."
The Silverwolves did put the clamps on the Vikings, and their 10-point margin of victory is extremely misleading. Riverton led by 23 points early in the fourth quarter before Pleasant Grove made a garbage-time run.
Riverton guard Scott Friel keyed the Silverwolves' defense, as he had the assignment of guarding Pleasant Grove's C.J. Wilcox, a Washington recruit who ranks sixth in 5A in scoring. Friel held Wilcox to just three baskets in the first half. Wilcox scored a game-high 29 points, but the majority of his points came after the game had been decided.
"I don't know if I had anyone else who could match him," Galley said. "Scott's just a warrior. He's tough."
Friel, Riverton's leading scorer, spent most of his energy on defense. But it didn't hurt the Silverwolves, as four players scored in double figures. Besides Thomas, Garrett Gundestrup (12 points), Sean Neilson (11 points) and Jeff Tanner (10 points) each stepped up.
E-mail: aaragon@desnews.com
