High school basketball: No. 3 Olympus overwhelms Skyline

SALT LAKE CITY — Many people wondered how Olympus High would react after beating the No. 1 team in the state, Bingham, on Tuesday.

Would the Titans become overconfident and suffer a letdown in their next game?

Not with rival Skyline next on the schedule.

Olympus shook off a slow start and played wire-to-wire, stifling defense in a 50-26 win over the Eagles on Friday night. The Titans held the Eagles to just 10 made shots and didn't give up more than 10 points in a quarter.

Olympus forward Connor Brady said his team had no trouble getting up for Skyline after beating Bingham, especially after the Eagles won the last two meetings between the teams.

"It's a great rivalry," Brady said. "There's a lot of talking back and forth, great fans on both sides. We beat them in football, and now we beat them in basketball, so it feels good."

The key to Olympus' victory was its defense. The Titans' lead was in double digits for much of the game and Skyline only made one real threat. Eagles guard Jaden Jackson hit a 3-pointer with 3:50 left in the third quarter to get Skyline within 10 points at 32-22, and his team's fans had some life for the first time since the first quarter.

The Titans, however, quickly put an end to any thoughts of a Skyline comeback. Olympus held the Eagles scoreless for close to 9 minutes of play and scored 14 straight points. Brady and Manny Riak each hit a 3-pointer during the run and Spencer Harris made two baskets.

"They really couldn't do anything," Brady said. "Anytime you can hold a team to that amount of points in their own gym, it's pretty good."

Brady led the Titans offensively with 16 points and Nicholas Paulos had 10. Olympus made five 3-pointers and shot 13-for-14 from the free-throw line. Brady and Paulos were the only players in the game to score in double figures.

"The thing that's nice about this team is guys pick each other up," said Olympus coach Matt Barnes. "Some nights you might score 15 or 20 and other nights you might get two or four (points) and other guys will step up."

All in all, it was a good, balanced win for the Titans against a longtime rival and a nice showing after an impressive victory over Bingham.

"That was a great win for us," Barnes said. "I've got a great group of kids. They're working hard, having fun and enjoying the experience."

The Titans, ranked No. 3 in 4A, improved to 6-1. Skyline fell to 2-4.

e-mail: aaragon@desnews.com