High school boys basketball: Alta hands rival Jordan its 1st region loss of year

SANDY — The toughest region in the state got a little tighter Wednesday night.

In an intense game from the opening tip, Alta overcame a 10-point halftime deficit and in the process handed Jordan its first region loss in a thrilling 53-49 overtime victory.

The win vaults Alta to the top of the Region 4 standings with a 4-1 record, with Brighton, Jordan and Pleasant Grove close behind at 3-1.

"You really have to win your home games, and you've got to steal as many on the road as you can," said Alta coach Jim Barker. "And so far we've been fortunate to win two close games here and we've gotten two on the road."

Jordan was the team that nearly stole a road win Wednesday in racing to a double-digit halftime lead, but neither coach expected the one-sided affair to continue after halftime. In fact, the reverse happened as Alta outscored the sloppy 'Diggers 19-2 in the third quarter to open up a 38-31 victory by capitalizing on six third-quarter turnovers and a technical foul by Jordan.

Barker attributed Alta's big run to his kids simply making shots.

"They were locking down on Kyle Davis inside so we had to hit some shots, and our kids finally hit some 3-pointers," he said. "Once we hit those 3-pointers the game became a game again because now they had to start covering other things and it allowed us to get the ball inside to him again."

Those shots weren't going down in the first half, a problem that was compounded by Jordan shooting 60 percent in the first half.

Jordan was the team that went cold in the third quarter, but it methodically chipped away at Alta's lead in the fourth and ultimately tied the score at 39-39 with 4:01 remaining on a Kevin Goldsmith lay-up.

The Hawks scored four straight points to go back in front 43-39, but just as quickly the 'Diggers scored five straight to take a 44-43 lead with under two minutes remaining.

Alta regained the lead on a Jordan Brown lay-up, but Jordan's Nate Monson made 1-of-2 free throws to level the score at 45-45 with 38 seconds left. The Hawks wisely played for the final shot, but point guard Brown was whistled for traveling in the paint with three seconds remaining.

The 'Diggers scored first in overtime, but Alta's defense buckled down after that and the Hawks scored the next seven points to pull away for good.

Alta travels to rival Brighton on Friday. Jordan faces Lone Peak next Wednesday.

e-mail: jedward@desnews.com