High school boys basketball: Bears cap perfect preseason with win over Hunter

WEST VALLEY CITY — Van Park couldn't have asked for a better preseason finale than the one Bear River got Tuesday night.

On the road against a more physical opponent, a rarity for Bear River, Park's team was outrebounded for the first time all year and faced adversity down to the final whistle. The Bears ultimately prevailed 56-50 over Hunter by sinking four free throws in the final two seconds, and in the process capped a perfect 10-0 preseason.

It was Bear River's first undefeated preseason in Park's 14 years as Bear River's head coach.

"That's been a goal of theirs. We try not to talk too much about, we want to talk about what's in front of us. But that's something they felt they could do," said Park.

While the players were mostly pleased about securing the unblemished record heading into Region 11 play this Friday, Park was more pleased with how it unfolded.

"For a lot of reason I thought this game was really good for us," said Park.

Nearly blowing a nine-point fourth quarter lead was a good learning experience for the Bears. It forced certain players to feel the pressure at the free throw line with the game on the line, and not everyone fared so well.

With his team leading 52-47, Chris Brower stepped to the line with 12 seconds remaining and the opportunity to make it a three possession game. He missed both free throws, however, and Hunter quickly pushed the ball up court and whittled the deficit to 52-50 with 3.4 seconds remaining on a baseline 3-pointer from Jeff Poole, who led all scorers with 22 points.

Feeling the pressure at the line wasn't the only lesson learned down the stretch. Park reminded his players afterward that they should never leave a team's best shooter open behind the 3-point line when everyone knows they need a 3-pointer in the waning seconds. If the scenario unfolds that way again later in the year, Park reminded his players not to collapse on the dribble penetration.

Giving up the late trey ended up being a moot point as Hunter was whistled for an intentional foul and Bear River iced the win with four straight free throws.

"Some adversity to try and pull it out when it got close in somebody elses gym, I think it was huge for us going into region," said Park.

While Hunter was led by Poole's 22 points and Brett Lunceford's 14, Bear River had three players score in double figures. Isaac Ericksen led the way with 15 points, followed by 13 from Wade Bronson and 12 from Matt Weyland.