ROY -- Sophomore guard Shad Watson lit up the scoreboard at Ted Smith gymnasium with a game-high 28 points and five rebounds as he led Box Elder to a 71-55 road win on Wednesday night.
Box Elder hit a stride from long distance early on and notched eight 3-pointers on the night including a trio in the first half from Watson.
"We were able to move the ball inside-out early on a get some nice shots," Box Elder coach Keith Mecham said. "I think our ball moving in general was a key for us early."
Box Elder's Kolby Quayle and Isaac Malone each chipped in nine points as Steven Didericksen and Taylor Wilding contributed eight.
After scoring 20 first quarter points it was the Bee's defense that took over holding the Royals to six second-quarter points and giving Box Elder a 31-17 advantage going into the half.
Roy's offense found a rhythm in the second half led by sophomore forward Brekkott Chapman and junior forward Chase Kunzler who tied for a team-high 16 points and combined 11 rebounds.
Kunzler was also 8-of-11 from the line and led a bench effort that logged 18 points on the night.
Roy pressed on defense and went on a few runs, but Box Elder kept finding ways to score in the paint, from the field and beyond the arch and despite their best efforts the 14-point lead Box Elder built up at the half proved too much for the Royals.
Box Elder (4-6 Region 5, 7-14 overall) will travel to Bonneville (4-6 Region 5, 10-11 overall) on Friday in a region showdown to keep their season alive.
"The game's going to be scrappy," Watson said. "We're both going to be giving it all because we both know if we lose, we go home."
* LOGAN 55, BONNEVILLE 53: At Washington Terrace, the Lakers suffered a heart-breaking loss to the Grizzlies after officials waved off what would have been the game-tying shot at the buzzer.
Down by what would become the final score, Bonneville's Mason Rich appeared to sink a basket as the buzzer sounded. However, after some initial confusion referees got together and waved off the shot before quickly leaving the court.
Russell Murphy led the Grizzlies with a game-high 24 points.
Rich had 12 points and 12 rebounds for Bonneville, while teammate Quinton Larsen hit five 3-pointers and finished with 19 points.
* MOUNTAIN CREST 48, SKY VIEW 35: At Smithfield, Famafili Laulu Pututau drained 19 points and the Mustangs defeated the Bobcats to force a three-way tie for first place in the final Region 5 standings.
Mountain Crest led by 10 at halftime, but put the game out of reach with a 20-12 run in the fourth quarter, sealing the victory.
The Bobcats entered Wednesday with a one-game lead over the Mustangs and division rival Logan. But their loss, combined with Logan's win over Bonneville set up the logjam atop the Region 5 standings.
Logan, Mountain Crest and Sky View officials will meet today to iron out tiebreaker scenarios to determine seedings for next week's state 4-A tournament.
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