WEST VALLEY, Utah (ABC 4 Sports) - The Lone Peak and Orem High School boys basketball teams won state championships Saturday at the Maverik Center in West Valley.
The Knights won their 4th state title in the last six years with a dominating 68-38 victory over Brighton. T.J. Haws scored 22 of his game-high 24 points in the first half, as Lone Peak raced out to a 30-point halftime lead and led by as many as 41. Nick Emery had 16 points, while Talon Shumway added 13 points. Lone Peak made 14 three-pointers.
"Nothing comes easy," said Haws, a sophomore who now has won two state titles in two years. "We had to go and take it from them. I thought we played well and came out tough. We have a target on our backs and we came up big today."
"This is the greatest feeling ever," added Emery. "We didn't just do this for our team, but for our fans as well. That was one of the funnest games I've ever played. We all played good."
"We're not 30 points better than Brighton," said head coach Quincy Lewis. "We just played a really good game and it snowballed on them a little bit. We were just ready to go."
Zach Wertz led the Bengals with 11 points.
In the 4A championship Orem beat Olympus, 58-50, for its first title in the school's 56-year history. Four Tigers scored in double figures led by Dalton Nixon's 18 points. Jordan Darger had 14, Cooper Holt scored 11, while Zach Hunsaker added 10. Will Cannon led the Titans with 13 points.
The Tigers took a 6-point halftime lead, and stretched it out to a dozen in the 3rd quarter. Olympus eventually cut the lead down to four in the 4th quarter, before Orem pulled away for the victory. The Tigers capped their best season ever with a record of 24-1.
"It's just crazy," said Hunsaker. "I'm just happy to bring it back for our fans who have been a big support to us."
"It's amazing," said Nixon. "It's just an amazing feeling. Everyone here is happy. I'm just glad to be part of a team with such a great coach and great players. It's been an incredible season."
"We were young and inexperienced at the start of the year, but we had a lot of skill," said Orem head coach Golden Holt. "The boys just bought into the team. It's 'we' not 'me' this year. It was for Orem, and that heart and character carried us through to this title."
With most of their teams returning next year, both Orem and Lone Peak will be the overwhelming favorites to repeat as champions in 2013.
