Kearns uses big fourth quarter to beat Stansbury

KEARNS — As the weather was dreadful outside, so was Stansbury’s fourth quarter play inside Kearns High School Friday night.

Kearns outscored the Stallions 20-6 in the final period, including a 16-0 Kearns run to start the all-Cougar quarter.

Dayon Goodman put on a show for the Cougars, posting 23 points, 19 rebounds, six steals, and three blocks in a 56-37 win. No one scored in double figures, but Taylor Graves finished with eight points, 14 rebounds, and three steals for the Stallions.

Neither team was able to grab an early lead as the first quarter ended in a 12-12 tie. Goodman had eight points in the opening period, and no matter what the Stallions attempted to get done, he was able to beat them.

“We just really pushed the ball up the court tonight,” Goodman said. “We were able to grab a lot of rebounds and score in transition. We knew that we were the most athletic team, and that was the key for us tonight.”

Goodman had a quiet second quarter, scoring only two points, and the Stallions were able to keep it deadlocked at 24 heading into the locker room.

Goodman's nine points in the third quarter gave the Cougars a 36-31 advantage heading into the fourth.

The fourth quarter began, and so did the Cougars' 16-0 run. Multiple players contributed to the run, and the Stallions had no answer. Timeouts and substitutions didn’t faze Kearns, and by the time Stansbury was able to answer at the 2:32 mark, it was too late.

“The key to that run was all the fast break layups,” said Goodman. “When we grabbed the rebounds we pushed it up court and got a lot of easy points.”

The Cougars move to 4-2 on the season, and will face Provo in the Tip Off Classic Wednesday. Stansbury drops to 3-3 and will face Westlake at home Saturday.

CJ Pronk is a Deseret Digital Media intern and a senior at Stansbury High School. Follow CJ on Twitter @BigCeeJ3113