Manti boys survive shooting woes to win over Kanab, 64-55
By Bob Bahlmann
2-20-08

EPHRAIM—It wasn’t pretty, but a win is a win, and the Manti Templars will take their victory last Friday over the Kanab Cowboys, 64-55, to advance in the 2A basketball tournament this week.
Despite what seemed to be a case of the tournament jitters, the Templars held off a determined Kanab team.
The Templars drew first blood with a three-pointer by Callan Jones, but appeared to be trying too hard and only managed to hit 37 percent of their shots in the first half. The Templars trailed by one at intermission.
However, Templar head coach Mark Hugentobler wasn’t too concerned. “We haven’t shot under 40 percent all year,” he said. “We’re getting good looks. We just need to relax and take the shot.”
And that’s what the Templars did in the third quarter.
Manti hit seven shots in a row, including a pair of threes by Griffin Aste and one each by Jones and Russ Hugentobler.
Manti’s 24 third-quarter points nearly matched its first-half total of 25 and gave the Templars an insurmountable lead over the Cowboys.
Although Manti struggled offensively, its defense forced 27 Kanab turnovers that resulted in 20 points, half of which came in the third quarter. As a team, the Templars finished the game shooting 45 percent from the field and a dismal 47 percent from the line.
When Nick Brown picked up two early fouls, Russ Hugentobler came off the bench and proceeded to shoot 88 percent from the field and was perfect from the line on his way to a game-high 22 points. Callan Jones was another offensive bright spot for the Templars. He shot 66 percent from the field, nailing a pair of threes, and was 3 of 4 from the line for nine points.
Griffin Aste finished the game with 12, Tylan Jackson had 11, Dave Hugentobler scored five, Chase Barrus had three and Brown had two.
The win advanced Manti to the quarterfinal bracket of the state tournament. The Templars’ opponent on Thursday will be the North Summit Braves with the tip-off scheduled for 2:30 pm. at the Sevier Valley Center in Richfield.
Manti hosted North Summit in early December and beat the Braves 62-55, but North Summit didn’t look sharp that night. The only other loss the Braves suffered—49-64 against Rowland Hall—still has some scratching their heads.
Like the Templars, the Braves are multi-dimensional. They have three players averaging in double figures led by Drew Robinson, who has signed to play football for Snow College, with nearly 16 points per game. Caden Richins adds over 14 points per game and Levi Foust scores another 12.
The game will be one of the biggest of the tournament and features two of the top three teams in 2A. Current rankings have South Sevier (18-3 overall) in the number one spot followed by the Braves (18-2) and then the Templars (16-6).