6A boys basketball playoffs: Near-perfect 1st quarter sends Corner Canyon past Layton
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- Layton’s Sam Romer, center, puts up a shot against Corner Canyon’s Derelle Desire (13) during the 6A semifinals Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024, in Salt Lake City.
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- Layton’s KJ Miller (42) shoot against Corner Canyon during the 6A semifinals Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024, in Salt Lake City.
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- Corner Canyon’s Brody Kozlowski (15) shoots over Layton’s Dave Katoa (10) during the 6A semifinals Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024, in Salt Lake City.
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- Layton’s Josh Checketts rises for a dunk during the 6A semifinals Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024, in Salt Lake City.
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- Layton’s Karter Miller (4) rises for a layup against Corner Canyon during the 6A semifinals Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024, in Salt Lake City.
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- Layton High’s KJ Miller, left, drives against Corner Canyon during the 6A semifinals Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024, in Salt Lake City.
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- Layton High’s Dave Katoa (10) wins the opening tip over Corner Canyon’s Derelle Desire (13) during the 6A semifinals Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024, in Salt Lake City.
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- Layton’s boys basketball bench cheers during the 6A semifinals Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024, in Salt Lake City.
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- Layton’s Mekhi Martin shoots against Corner Canyon during the 6A semifinals Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024, in Salt Lake City.
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- Layton High boys basketball coach Kelby Miller gestures during the 6A semifinals Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024, in Salt Lake City.
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- Layton High players sit in the final moments of their 6A semifinal playoff game Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024, in Salt Lake City.
SALT LAKE CITY — Going 21-1 in the regular season, Layton High boys basketball earned every bit of its No. 1 state tournament seed.
But any team that makes the 6A semifinals is going to be good. And on Wednesday night at the Huntsman Center, No. 4 Corner Canyon was flat-out too good.
The Chargers used a near-perfect first quarter to propel themselves into Friday night’s state title game while ending Layton’s bid for its third boys basketball state title in an 89-60 decision.
“The saying goes, everyone has a game plan until you get punched in the mouth, right?” Layton head coach Kelby Miller said. “They jumped on us, just their size and physicality, and we didn’t hit shots like we normally do. And that was really the difference.”
Utah-bound David Katoa led Layton with 14 points, nine rebounds and three steals, knocking down a pair of second-half 3-pointers. Snow College-bound Mekhi Martin added 11 points and three assists, while KJ Miller scored 10 points. The Lancers finished 23 of 60 (38.3%), struggling to contend with Corner Canyon’s size advantage, while shooting 5 of 23 from distance.
Martin hit a fadeaway jumper and a crossover pull-up on consecutive possessions to put the Lancers (24-2) ahead 4-2 early, giving life to Layton’s hearty student-section contingent.
But the Lancers couldn’t make it last long. Corner Canyon shot 9 of 13 in the first quarter, including 2 of 3 from the 3-point line. Most impactful of all, the Chargers pulled down four offensive rebounds and converted them all into scores, holding a 9-0 advantage in second-chance points for a 23-13 lead after the frame.
The death blow came to open the second quarter. Guard Taylor Feroah scored on a putback, and USC-bound forward Brody Kozlowski and guard Bryton Valdes knocked down 3-pointers to cap 10-0 run. After Noah Bendinger and Isaac Neibaur scored in the paint, Corner Canyon had a 36-15 lead with 4:45 left in the first half.
The Lancers shot 9 of 28 in the first half and 1 of 9 from distance.
“If we come out and hit some shots, that’s a different ballgame,” Kelby Miller said. “But credit to Corner Canyon. They did a great job crashing the boards, getting some easy buckets, getting physical with us and not giving our shooters clean looks.”
Layton stayed in the fight from there, as Katoa and KJ Miller started seeing shots fall. But the damage was done, and the margin stayed between 19 and 23 points until the final minutes with backups on the court.
“I couldn’t be more proud of how our guys played, tonight and all season long,” Kelby Miller said. “You know, 24 wins, undefeated region championship, No. 1 almost all season long. That paints a target on our backs, but our guys were up to the task and this one game doesn’t define how good of a team we were.”
Corner Canyon (19-7) finished with a 20-7 advantage on second-chance points and a 46-32 mark in the paint.
Neibaur led all scorers with 21 points. Feroah totaled 18 points and 14 rebounds, with six offensive boards. Kozlowski scored 17 points, while center Derelle Desire racked up 16 points, eight rebounds, six assists and two blocks on 7-of-9 shooting.
The Chargers shot 35 of 61 (57.4%) overall and 11 of 22 from distance. They’ll take on the winner of Wednesday’s nightcap between Herriman and Lehi.
The coach Miller credited seniors Martin, KJ Miller and Cade Tidwell as program builders in three and four years of varsity play at Layton.
“They’ve seen some ups and downs and, ultimately, where we’re at today in the semifinals is because of those guys, the foundation those guys set,” Kelby Miller said. “They really set the tone for the season.”