Boys basketball playoffs: Behind Atwater’s shooting, Davis pulls away from Fremont in 2nd half
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- Davis High’s Ike Morgan (11) shoots as Fremont’s Easton Duft (5) and Tyler Allen (22) look on during a 6A second-round playoff game Friday, Feb. 23, 2024, in Kaysville.
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- Davis guard Coleman Atwater, right, shoots a 3-pointer over Fremont’s Easton Duft (5) in a 6A second-round playoff game Friday, Feb. 23, 2024, in Kaysville.
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- Fremont’s Hunter Hansen, right, shoots over Davis High’s Zach Fisher (4) in a 6A second-round playoff game Friday, Feb. 23, 2024, in Kaysville.
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- Davis forward Zach Fisher (4) dribbles against Fremont’s Hunter Hansen in a 6A second-round playoff game Friday, Feb. 23, 2024, in Kaysville.
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- Fremont’s Ryan Furgeson (45) tries to dunk on a Davis player in a 6A second-round playoff game Friday, Feb. 23, 2024, in Kaysville.
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- Davis High’s Tradon Bessinger, rear, shoots over Fremont’s Ryan Furgeson (45) in a 6A second-round playoff game Friday, Feb. 23, 2024, in Kaysville.
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- Fremont’s Hunter Hansen, right, shoots over Davis High’s Coleman Atwater (1) in a 6A second-round playoff game Friday, Feb. 23, 2024, in Kaysville.
KAYSVILLE — At 6-foot-3, Davis High junior guard Coleman Atwater would already stand out in a crowd, but dress him in a pair of shorts and a tank top, give him the green light on a basketball court from beyond the 3-point line and you have something special.
It wasn’t just that the lefty splashed home four 3-pointers on Friday against Fremont, it was the timing that had such an impact.
Atwater made a clutch trey late in the second quarter to give the Darts the lead at the break, and the good vibes carried into the third quarter as No. 6 Davis rolled Fremont for the third time this year, advancing to the quarterfinals of the 6A state tournament with a 59-36 statement win.
No. 11 Fremont (12-12) garnered a 26-24 lead via a Hunter Hansen rebound basket that concluded a 7-0 run with 2:23 left in the second period and it stayed that way for the next two minutes.
As time wound down, Atwater stepped into a three and buried it with 24 seconds remaining and the Darts led at the half, 27-26.
“It was huge; it gave us all the momentum going into halftime,” Atwater said. “Gave us extra energy and confidence that lasted the rest of the game.”
Davis (17-7) bolted out of the locker room and hung a 20-6 third-quarter blitz on the Silverwolves to lead 47-32 after three.
“We do what we always do. We prepared the first half, saw what they were doing, made some adjustments and figured out some things we could do better, to exploit their weaknesses and use our strengths,” Atwater said. “We were able to get more offensive rebounds, stay loose and create shots.”
Speaking of shots, the 3-pointer Atwater made from just inside midcourt comes to mind — one that gave the Darts a 34-26 edge and caused Fremont to call a timeout to recover from it.
“It’s all preparation; getting up 500 shots a day and really working on it and having the belief they can go in because I’ve done it so many times. We were rolling and when that time came in the game, I was feeling it, shot it and it went in,” Atwater said.
The Darts won the fourth quarter 12-4, which means they held Fremont to 10 points in the second half
“We harp on defense every single day in practice and wanted to throw the first punch to start the second half, and we really did that,” Atwater said. “We know in playoff games everybody is a great team and is coached well. It’s about who can make those winning plays and get those 50/50 balls.”
Atwater finished the game with 20 points on 7 of 12 shooting from the field (4 of 6 from beyond the arc). Zach Fisher was next in line for the Darts with 19 points and eight rebounds, while Tradon Bessinger checked in with eight points and seven boards.
“A coach once said that great players do great things in big moments; me and Zach spend a lot of time working at it with our teammates and when the big moments came we took advantage of our matchups, and had confidence to make the plays,” Atwater said.
Hansen closed out his high school career leading a feeble Fremont attack with 10 points and six rebounds. Easton Duft added eight points.
Davis continues in the 6A tournament with a quarterfinal contest against No. 3 Herriman at 2:30 p.m. Monday at the University of Utah.