4A boys high school basketball: Green's hot shooting helps Titans pull away from Tigers

WEST VALLEY CITY — There's a Green who plays for Olympus, and contrary to popular belief, his name is not Shaun's little brother.

In fact, his name is Corbin Green and he took a big step in creating his own legacy in the Titans' 56-49 win over Orem in the first round of the 4A state tournament at the E Center on Tuesday. Olympus advances to play tournament rival Timpview in the quarterfinals on Thursday.

Green carried the load for Olympus against Orem, as he drained four 3-pointers, scored 23 points and had nine rebounds. Green shot 8 of 13 from the field and also dished two assists. His proficient shooting from the outside was reminiscent of you know who.

"I get that a lot," Green said. "I think people don't even know my name. They just say, 'There goes Shaun Green's little brother.' It's not my name."

Green displayed his all-around game, while making his own name, in the third quarter of the Titans' victory. He came out of the break on fire, knocking down three 3-pointers and scoring 11 points in the third quarter. He made a jumper with less than three minutes left in the third to give Olympus a 42-32 lead.

"I'm just trying to make my own mark," Green said. "It's easier to do when you're surrounded by six or seven other good players who make it easy. We have a really good team this year and hopefully we can make a run."

Olympus coach Matt Barnes said the younger Green has stepped out of the large shadow created by the older Green, who was a 4A MVP and currently a key contributor for the Utah Utes.

"He's taking huge strides," Barnes said. "There's a lot of pressure there and he's done a tremendous job with his maturity, leadership, enthusiasm and energy. I couldn't be happier for him. He's everything I could ask for as a coach and more."

Barnes felt the same way about his Titans when they led the Tigers by 10 points in the third quarter. But Olympus never has an easy time in the first round of the state tournament, and its win on Tuesday was no different.

Orem rallied to tie the game at 42-42 with six minutes left. The teams stepped up their defense for the next few minutes until Orem took a 46-45 lead on a shot by Weber State football recruit Jordan Egbert with three minutes left.

From there, the Titans got some big defensive stops and guard Joey Bourne iced the game with six straight foul shots. Bourne was fouled on three consecutive possessions and made Orem pay for hacking him.

"Joey Bourne is amazing," Green said. "That 6-for-6 was outstanding. He's got ice in his veins."

The same can be said for the rest of Olympus. The Titans undoubtedly have a checkered first-round history. But they hung together against the Tigers, stayed composed and pulled out the victory.

"It shows a lot of character," Barnes said. "I just was impressed. They showed some toughness. We just kind of regrouped and settled down."

The Titans only shot 34 percent from the field, but were helped by 14 offensive rebounds. Will Watkins had 11 points, while Bourne chipped in 10. Ian Harward, Keenan Karratti and Sean Peterson each had 11 points for Orem.

E-mail: aaragon@desnews.com