HYRUM - If the Mustangs continue playing like they have in the third quarter, a deep run in the playoffs is a very realistic possibility.
One game after outscoring Logan 17-0 in the third quarter, Mountain Crest owned that period once again, outpointing Tooele 23-11 en route to rolling to a 59-43 victory over the Buffaloes in the second round of the 4A State Boys Basketball Championships on Tuesday at the ICON Activity Complex.
"In the third quarter, we love coming out with some intensity right there," MC center Cal Hanks said. "We believe that's where the game (is won) ... and, yeah, we played really well that third quarter."
Indeed, the Mustangs (17-4) played with a lot of intensity the eight minutes following halftime. One play in particular typified how aggressive Mountain Crest was in the third quarter. Reserve forward Troy Pickett corralled the Mustangs' fourth offensive rebound of a single possession and scored, giving the hosts a 35-20 lead.
"First off, I think our third quarters have been big all season long," MC head coach Jim Crosbie said. "... And Pickett getting that rebound was huge for us in that, one, we have a lot of scorers, and we told Pickett, ‘You're going to have to go get those kind of things' because there's not a lot of offense run for him. And to see him put forth that effort and contribute to this team that way was huge.
"... Those are the kind of plays we need to go deep into the state tournament."
Mountain Crest, winners of eight straight, knew heading into the contest it had a significant size advantage in the post, and it showed. For starters, Hanks was dominant on both ends of the floor, scoring 16 points and grabbing 15 rebounds.
Hanks especially imposed his will on the offensive end in the third quarter, scoring eight points - four on two-handed dunks. The senior threw one down on a nice pass from Matt Stewart just before the third-quarter buzzer, giving the Mustangs a 21-point lead (46-25).
Hanks and the Mustangs controlled the glass, outrebounding the Buffaloes (11-12) 34-21, including an 11-3 advantage in the decisive third quarter.
"Well, obviously very pleased (with our post play)," Crosbie said. "... (I'm really) pleased with how Cal's progressed. He's got his legs back and he's playing at the level we wanted him to, and to peak right now and to be playing his best basketball, it's a great time to do it."
Like they have all season long, the Mustangs were rock solid defensively, holding the Buffaloes to 13-for-44 shooting, including an ice-cold 5-for-21 clip in the first half.
"Coach has always told us that offense wins games, defense wins championships, and that's what we pride ourselves on," MC guard Jake Worley said. "And we know if we play good D, the offense will come."
Worley gave the Mustangs their largest lead of the game at 53-30 when he buried a 3-pointer from the left wing. The senior knocked down all three shots he attempted, including a pair of treys.
Like Hanks, Tyler Weese shined on both ends of the court for the Region 5 champions. The athletic senior finished with 14 points, three assists, three steals and pulled down four offensive rebounds. On two occasions, Hanks found Weese on well-executed backdoor cuts for easy layups.
"A couple of times when we knocked down shots in the zone, they thought they could switch to man, but we like it when people go man on us because we know that we execute better than most teams," Worley said. "And we were able to get some nice, easy layups out of it."
Stewart joined Hanks and Weese in double-figure scoring as he finished with 10 points, six boards and a trio of assists.
Jacob Holt, who plays much bigger than his 5-foot-9 frame, led Tooele with 17 points, mainly on athletic pull-up jumpers.
The scrappy Buffaloes brought a large contingent of fans to Hyrum - something Crosbie was very impressed with - which led to some creative chants back and forth between supporters of both teams.
"That's what high school sports is all about," Crosbie said. "... I mean, we've had a great crowd all year, but I'd say for the first round of a state tournament at a home site like this, I thought there was a pretty good buzz in the air ... and to see the students get involved was really something."
Mountain Crest will now square off against former region nemesis Bountiful in the quarterfinals Thursday afternoon at 4 at the Dee Events Center in Ogden. The Braves, Region 6's top seed, advanced with a 49-44 victory over Orem.
(Braden Wolfe / Herald Journal)
Mountain Crest's Cal Hanks shoots over Tooele's Baylon Horrocks in the first half Tuesday.
