High school basketball: 4A boys quarterfinal preview — Provo vs. Highland

WEST VALLEY CITY — No matter how you look at it, the odds seem fiercely stacked against Highland building on its first round win with a quarterfinal triumph.

Of course, when your opponent is two-time defending 4A champion Provo — a team that has won 39 consecutive games — such a scenario is probably true for most any team in the Rams' situation.

Highland coach Keith West figures his team can best approach this matchup by playing without fear.

"We're not afraid of anybody," West said. "I've got eight seniors. They're not afraid. They're going to get out and play. They're going to play their game. They're going to compete."

The Rams are a good defensive team that is most at home in low-scoring slugfests. They have allowed only 44.8 points per game this season — a total that ranks their defense second best in 4A and is also a big reason why Highland finished second in Region 6 behind Olympus.

But while that might be an advantage with most opponents, it really doesn't help all that much with Provo. The Bulldogs can lay claim to the stingiest scoring defense in 4A. Through 22 games, they have yielded only 37.8 points per game.

West acknowledged that Highland's best hopes for upset might lie on what it can do offensively rather than the defensive side of things.

"You have to make some adjustments on offense," West said. "Luckily, we have a day to make adjustments. The stuff we run — it's easy to make adjustments. Hopefully we can make the right adjustments on what we do."

For Provo's part, avoiding a potential upset against the Rams might be something as simple as coming out of the gates quicker.

The Bulldogs definitely have an edge when it comes to talent.

Brandon Davies is part of a shining list of recruits from Utah County set to join BYU next season. Junior Kyle Collinsworth is also a clear Division I level talent and has more than a few NCAA schools that are coveting his services. Plus, there are capable role players around those two that can step up and make big plays when needed.

When Davies and Collinsworth were quiet in the first half of the team's 57-39 victory over Murray, forwards Ryan Durrant and Beau Hunter stepped up to keep the Bulldogs from falling behind. Durrant hit several key 3-pointers and Hunter got some needed baskets around the paint.

But it goes without saying that Provo is at its best when Davies and Collinsworth are both at a peak performance level.

"I have two great players," Bulldogs coach Craig Drury said. "I have Collinsworth and Davies and they stabilize me."

With the lengthy winning streak and two championships in a row, it is easy to wonder just how long Provo can keep it going. Drury has done the math and knows how many victories his team has piled up lately. But a different win total is on his mind in the 4A tournament.

"The only streak I want is four in a row," Drury said.

E-MAIL: jcoon@desnews.com