Bountiful vs. Olympus

BOUNTIFUL – During the last two minutes of Bountiful’s 54-51 victory over Olympus Friday night, it was the team you didn’t expect that played with the most composure.
McKay LaSalle scored 19 points and he and Nick Williams nailed six straight free throws in the final seconds to lift Bountiful to the Region 6 victory and take over sole possession of first place.
“It was execution to the end,” explained Bountiful coach Mike Maxwell. “We got the shots we wanted, and we were able to double-team them on force turnovers. The kids have grown up.”
Bountiful’s kids – and there’s not a senior among them – took the early lead, gave it up early in the fourth quarter and then rallied back. With the win, the Braves moved to 10-5 overall and 6-0 in region, and earned a lot more respect than they had previously.
“That’s what a tough preseason schedule will for you,” Maxwell said. “We know how to win games. Now we have to go and prove it.”
Olympus coach Matt Barnes said the Braves played well on their home court, where they are 6-1 this season.
“They made the plays when they needed to,” said Barnes, who also saw his team’s 10-game win streak come to an end.
Few people saw this upset coming, but they might have if they knew all the facts.
The Titans lost guard Spencer Harris earlier in the week to a torn ACL. He is expected to be out for the season. Then, on Thursday, guard Joe Bourne suffered a broken ankle in practice. Barnes said he hopes Bourne will return later this season, but admitted the chances are slim.
“We played passive tonight,” Barnes said. “We didn’t have Joe, but the other guys have to step up.”
At least one player did.
Manny Riak came off the bench and led Olympus with 14 points. He hit 5-of-5 shots from the field, including a three-pointer that briefly gave Olympus the lead in the fourth quarter.
“We had a chance,” Barnes said. “We had them on the ropes.”
But Bountiful’s Dan Prawitt answered with a big rebound basket, and then fed Nick Williams with a beautiful pass that led to another score and the Braves were able to answer.
Sam Williams started in place of Bourne. He had a nice floor game and finished with eight points. Still, it was apparent some chemistry was missing. The Titans had trouble solving Bountiful’s full-court pressure and had 16 turnovers – twice as many as the home team.
Nicholas Paulos, Oly’s leading scorer at just under 17 points per game, had just eight. He missed his first five shots and wasn’t a factor until hitting a three-pointer with three seconds left that cut Bountiful’s margin to one.
On the other hand, LaSalle and Dillon Salazar found their shot. LaSalle finished with five three-pointers, including a couple that were beyond NBA range. He and Salazar provided most of Bountiful’s offense in the first half. Salazar finished with 12 points.

Olympus 10 14 11 16 - 51
Bountiful 17 14 5 18 - 54

OLYMPUS (51) - Williams 3-6 0-0 8, Watkins 2-3 0-1 5, Paulos 3-9 0-0 8, Brady 4-8 2-2 12, Sonntag 2-3 0-2 4, Riak 5-5 1-1 14, Wagstaff 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 19-34 3-6 51.
BOUNTIFUL (54) – LaSalle 5-13 4-5 19, Williams 4-14 4-4 13, Salazar 4-8 2-4 12, Maxwell 0-0 0-0 0, Prawitt 4-6 2-2 10, Ellis 0-0 0-0 0, Harding 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 17-42 12-15 54.
Total fouls: Olympus 15, Bountiful 12. Fouled out: Riak. Technical fouls: none. Three-point goals: Olympus 10-21 (Riak 3, Williams 2, Paulos 2, Brady 2, Watkins). Bountiful 8-24 (LaSalle 5, Salazar 2, Williams). Rebounds: Olympus 24 (Brady 7), Bountiful 22 (Williams, Maxwell, Prawitt 5). Turnovers: Olympus 16, Bountiful 8.