2A boys basketball state tournament capsules

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The first round of the 2A state tournament gets underway this Saturday, with the eight winners advancing to the quarterfinals at the Sevier Valley Center in Richfield next Thursday. Defending state champion South Sevier heads into the playoffs on a 20-game winning streak and behind Race Parsons is the overwhelming favorite to win the title once again.

Here’s a team-by-team look at all 16 teams in the state tournament, and what to expect:

Beaver Beavers (12-7)

Coach: Joe Hillock

How qualified: Finished first in Region 13 with a 6-2 record.

Playoff opener: vs. San Juan, Saturday, 10:30 a.m. (At Snow College)

Best preseason victory: A 51-47 win against Piute on Nov. 30.

Best region victory: A 69-62 win against Millard on Jan. 25.

Top contributors

Michael Roberts, So., Guard (10.3 ppg)

Dallon Blackner, Sr., Center (9.7 ppg)

Tyler Roberts, Sr., Guard (8.9 ppg)

Braxton Williams, Jr., Forward (8.1 ppg)

Smokey Osborn, Jr., Guard (7.3 ppg)

Scoring offense: 51.4 ppg (11th in 2A)

Scoring defense: 48.3 ppg (6th in 2A)

Last state championship: 2002

Prep editor James Edward’s bracket: Loss to Manti in quarterfinals.

Edward’s evaluation: Confidence could be an issue for the Beavers after they stumbled with back-to-back regular season losses to end the season.

Emery Spartans (10-10)

Coach: Todd Jeffs

How qualified: Finished in a second-place tie with Richfield in Region 15 with a 4-4 record, and won the coin flip to earn the No. 2 seed.

Playoff opener: vs. Enterprise, Saturday, 8 p.m. (At Snow College)

Best preseason victory: A 54-52 win against Manti on Dec. 30.

Best region victory: A 56-49 win against Richfield on Feb. 3.

Top contributors

Dallon Cologie, Sr., Guard (16.1 ppg, 1.3 rpg, 2.0 apg, 2.1 spg)

Dawson Jensen, Jr., Center (9.3 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 0.4 spg)

Brendon Jorgensen, Jr., Guard (8.2 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 0.7 apg, 0.5 spg)

Jordan Cox, Sr., Forward (5.8 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 0.1 apg, 0.5 spg)

Logan Tuttle, Jr., Center (5.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 0.2 spg)

Scoring offense: 56.7 ppg (4th in 2A)

Scoring defense: 58.4 ppg (17th in 2A)

Last state championship: 1990 (3A)

Prep editor James Edward’s bracket: Loss to South Summit in quarterfinals.

Edward’s evaluation: Emery has been one of the more unpredictable teams in 2A this year. It’s capable of making a run to the semifinals with a favorable bracket, but it could just as easily get bounced by Enterprise in the first round.

Enterprise Wolves (10-11)

Coach: Larry Shurtliff