High school boys basketball: Layton Christian closes out regular season with win over rival St. Joseph

OGDEN — On the final night of the regular season, the Layton Christian Academy boys basketball team sure looked ready to defend its 1A championship.

The crowd was loud and the stands were full as Region 17 rivals Layton Christian and St. Joseph squared off Friday night in Ogden.

A trio of LCA seniors — Duce Namazi, Ricardo Gomez and Preston Sill — were instrumental during the Eagles' 64-52 win over the Jayhawks in the final regular-season game for both squads.

Namazi led Eagle scorers with 19, while Gomez and Sill both contributed 14. Joe Reddish also finished in double digits for the Eagles, pouring in 11.

The Eagles broke the game open in the third quarter outscoring the Jayhawks 18-9. By the start of the fourth quarter the Eagles had pulled out to an 18-point lead.

Top contributors for the Jayhawks were Nick Gruette with 21 points (three treys) and Sebastian Pomeroy with 10 points.

The high-flying Eagles now turn their attention to the postseason as 1A tournament action begins next week at the Sevier Valley Center in Richfield.

Gary Czenkus is an Air Force veteran and graduate of the University of Nebraska. EMAIL: zman2206@gmail.com