Highland basketball defeated region foe Woods Cross by a final score of 62-48 at the Jon M. Huntsman Center on Feb. 23 in the 5A playoff quarterfinals. Highland shook off the cobwebs from the second-round scare against Viewmont, and handled business against a Wildcats team that the Rams split the series 1-1 with this year. In the past couple of years, the Rams have been great, but there must be something in the water at the University of Utah, or something especially inspirational from coach Chris Jones.
Because Highland basketball in the playoffs is a different animal.
“We played the right way and did the right things,” Jones said.
The game opened with the tip which went to the Cats, but not long after that, senior Grady Lee poked the ball away and drove right down the court for an easy layup that gave the Rams a 2-0 lead. The Rams wouldn’t give up the lead for the rest of the game.
Highland’s defense also looked fantastic throughout the game. Woods Cross had many occasions when players were forced to throw up prayer shots in hopes of hitting the rim just to avoid a shot-clock violation. Highland played tight man coverage and the Wildcats just couldn’t shake them. Hustle defense led to multiple turnovers and fast breaks, as Highland controlled the entire pace of the game.
Highland had a small shooting slump in the second quarter that allowed Woods Cross to close in and potentially take the lead. The Rams got a little desperate and started taking uncharacteristic shots, but although the game was close going into the half with the Rams hitting the locker room up 30-22, it never felt as though Highland had lost control of the game.
“It’s just about being with your team, just talking with teammates. Just forgetting about the environment,” senior Isaiah Drisdom said. “Then we play hard.”
Highland has been playing its best basketball in the second half all year, and this game was no different. After coming out of the tunnel and struggling to open the half, the only points came from senior Soren Ries on the free throw line a couple of times. Highland again was looking slightly off its footing as fans watched confused at multiple missed layups for the Rams.
That all ended abruptly when Lee started raining down three pointers. The Black Hole jumped to its feet, and it was off the races for the rest of the game. The third quarter was complete with threes from seniors Lee, Drisdom, and Jordan Oberholtzer. The Wildcats simply couldn’t keep up with the hustle and speed that the Rams were setting the game at. The nail in the coffin came when Oberholtzer drilled a mid-range fadeaway buzzer beater to end the third quarter.
It was just like clockwork from then on. Highland settled into the game it’s been dominating teams with all year and were able to get revenge on the Wildcats with a near 15 point victory.
“We were confident… when you play the right way and do things you’re supposed to do and avoid things you’ve haven’t done all year just because you’re in a different building or a weird environment,” Jones said. “Just being comfortable.”
Along with that, the Rams earned a birth to the playoff Semifinals, where they will rematch a third region rival during this playoff run: Olympus High School.
The Olympus-Highland basketball rivalry has turned into an instant classic that always goes down to the wire. These two teams are about as experienced as teams get when it comes to playoff basketball. No contributor on the Rams lineup is a stranger to the bowl shaped, bright-lighted, noise bottling Huntsman center. For the past three consecutive years, the Rams have earned the privilege of compete for a title over the red double-block U’s at the Utah basketball stadium.
“We’ve been here for three years, so the boys have all played a lot of games here,” Jones said.
The comfortability shows. All five Highland starters ended their point totals in the double-digits.
Olympus has that same sort of comfortability.
“We have split with them in the regular season the last three years, but they’ve gotten us twice in the tourney,” Jones said. “Third times the charm. It’s time to go get ‘em.”
Drisdom, who out of all the players on the team has played the most minutes in the Huntsman center, is ready to dish some payback.
“We beat them at their crib by a solid 10 points,” Drisdom said. Which is a slight understatement as Olympus closed the gap from when it was over 20 in the last few minutes. “We plan on doing the same thing.”
No doubt this matchup will be the most anticipated of any of the playoff games excluding possibly the title game. The student sections will be bigger, fans rowdier, and moments more intense. The Rams will look to feed into that energy and let experience lead the way to a trip to the title game Thursday the 26th and 5:40 and takedown the Titans.
“I think we are comfortable,” Jones said. “The boys are not afraid to be great.”
