PLAIN CITY — Eleven of the last 13 games between Layton and Fremont’s boys basketball teams finished with a single-digit margin.

That much was plenty the same on Friday when the two teams met up in a one-versus-two Region 1 showdown.

The difference this time around was the Lancers beat the Silverwolves for only the fifth time in the last 14 games, and beat them on the road for the first time since 2018, with a 62-60 road win that will serve as a nice feather in their cap.

Layton won with point guard Mekhi Martin sitting important stretches with foul trouble and against a previously unbeaten-in-region Fremont (12-6, 7-1 Region 1) team playing in front of a wall-to-wall home crowd.

“We take away that we’re able to beat anyone. Going into this, they’re undefeated of course, and everyone thought that, you know, they’re the best team,” Layton junior KJ Miller said. “But I think we came out and showed that we can run with anyone, really. I think personally we’re the best team when we play together and when we’re in motion.”

Since a 56-51 loss to Syracuse, Layton head coach Kelby Miller said his team has been working through some changes on offense.

On Friday, Layton’s offense was equal parts up-tempo and methodical. The Lancers went on a protracted 17-2 run across the first and second quarters, mostly against Fremont’s backups, and led 25-23 at halftime.

Halftime at Fremont High’s gym was a little busier than usual. The school recognized a fundraiser for Mike Skogerboe, who was named Fremont’s “Super Fan” in 2019 for his years as a devoted fan of Fremont athletics. After the Fremont-Layton game on Jan. 10, Skogerboe slipped and severely fractured his ankle. He faces a long recovery.

Fremont cheerleaders and some students wore T-shirts with Skogerboe’s name on them, and his presence at center court in a wheelchair drew raucous applause.

It was also Fremont junior cheer night, where groups of cheerleaders from the surrounding junior high, middle and elementary schools do cheer routines, helped by the Fremont cheerleaders.

Both basketball teams walked out of the locker room with their shooting sights on target. Fremont’s David Calvert hit two 3-pointers from different spots, part of a game-high 22 points, with the second giving his team a 31-30 lead.

Layton, meanwhile, scored 10 points in the first three minutes of the third quarter, and 23 in the quarter as a whole, against the Silverwolves’ starters.

“The main thing is just win and just be playing our best ball now at the end of the season, is really what the focus is,” Kelby Miller said.

Point guard Martin had eight of his 10 points in the first half but went to the bench with four fouls late in the third. Cooper Tullis scored on the next trip down for a vital Layton response and a 45-41 lead.

KJ Miller knocked in a corner 3-pointer — he led Layton with 13 points — in the quarter’s final seconds to give the Lancers a 48-42 lead going to the final frame. Elias Parkinson scored eight of his 11 points in the second half for Layton.

Two separate times early in the fourth, Fremont got within a basket thanks to Treyden Hoggan 3-pointers. Layton responded both times: first, with a KJ Miller putback and second, with two free throws by Brock Mendoza, who scored 12 points.

Hoggan scored 20 points with six 3-pointers a little more than a week after draining eight 3s in a win at Davis.

The Lancers went inside almost exclusively in the fourth quarter and, though they didn’t come away with many field goals, they went to the free-throw line and slowly built the lead to 58-50.

Fremont had plenty of life, but the 3s upon which it heavily relied dried up. It was another nailbiter for Layton, which has played eight single-digit games out of nine region games this season.

“It’s funny because we were at our Davis game and my assistant coach is walking over to my Garmin (smartwatch) and he’s checking the heart rate out, ‘Oh what is it? What is it?'” Kelby Miller said. “It’s almost like we’re comfortable in that (close-game) situation now, we know what we need to do, you’re going to need to win those types of games if you want to compete for a state championship.”

As far as the Region 1 title race goes, the Silverwolves have a two-game lead in the loss column over both Layton and Syracuse with four games left.

Still, KJ Miller said Layton has an obvious goal if the region title doesn’t happen.

“I think from this point on, if we don’t win region champs, I think our goal is state championship. We want to put a trophy up in our school, we want to put a ring on our fingers,” he said.

Connect with reporter Patrick Carr via email at pcarr@standard.net, Twitter @patrickcarr_ and Instagram @standardexaminersports.

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