Boys basketball: Layton outlasts Davis 72-70 in electric Region 1 showdown
-
- Layton’s Sam Romer (3) shoots from the corner as Davis player Easton Ralphs (23) contests on Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024, in Kaysville.
-
- Davis High’s Coleman Atwater, right, drives against a Layton defender on Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024, in Kaysville.
-
- Davis High player Caleb Taylor, right, surveys the floor as Layton’s Cade Tidwell (11) defends on Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024, in Kaysville.
-
- Layton’s Mekhi Martin, left, shoots a jumper as Davis player Ike Morgan closes out on Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024, in Kaysville.
-
- Davis High’s Ike Morgan, right, drives against Layton’s Karter Miller on Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024, in Kaysville.
-
- Layton’s Sam Romer shoots a layup against Davis on Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024, in Kaysville.
KAYSVILLE — Layton High senior guard Dave Katoa admits to being a religious man and the prayer he threw up against Davis on Tuesday was answered.
Coming out of a timeout with 1:08 to play, the Lancers fumbled a pass and Katoa got possession of the ball as the 35-second clock nudged zeros. He shot an off-balance, spit-legged 3-pointer that arched to the basket as the buzzer went off, the ball tickled the twine and Layton led 71-66 with less than a minute remaining in the game.
“We kind of lost the ball; I had to kick it out and my teammate found me. I knew there was like one second on the shot clock, so I just turned and found the rim,” Katoa said. “I threw it up and said a prayer it would go in and it went in. I had to shoot it anyway. I was very happy about that.”
There was still more drama to follow, but Layton held on for a 72-70 victory over the Darts in an electric Region 1 showdown featuring two excellent teams.
The game was tied at 65 after Davis (10-5, 1-1 Region 1) guard Ike Morgan made a driving layup and the teams traded time outs and turnovers until Katoa nailed a 3 from the top of the key at the 1:37 mark.
“I just came down and they were playing really far off, so I shot it with confidence and it went in,” Katoa said. “I’m grateful for my teammates, they opened that up because they’re such great shooters. There’s no help-side (defense) so that guy had to play so far back, it opened up the opportunity for me.”
Coleman Atwater made a free throw for Davis with 1:17 left, making it 68-66 with 1:17 left, setting the stage for Katoa’s clutch game-clincher.
“It’s just work behind the scenes. You have to put in the work, all the unseen hours. I’ve shot a million of those 3-pointers. You’re just doing reps every single day for times like this,” Katoa said.
Davis didn’t go down without a fight as Atwater made two free throws and Morgan made another layup with 10.4 seconds left, then Katoa converted 1 of 2 free throws for the final margin.
Katoa scored 11 points through the first three quarters, then had 11 in the fourth quarter to help Layton (14-1, 2-0) to the win for his 22 points on the night.
“Team just believed in me. We had a game plan. It was a whole team effort, not just me,” Katoa said. “Everybody played a great game.”
Mekhi Martin scored 15 points for Layton and Sam Romer also checked in with double figures at 13.
For Davis, Zach Fisher had a game-high 28 points and Atwater added 19.
The game was tied or the lead changed hands six times earlier in the fourth quarter as a full gym went wild.
“You just have to stay calm, keep your composure; can’t get out of control because that’s when mistakes happen,” Katoa said. “That’s probably one of the funnest games I’ve ever played. Energy was off the charts. It was a great atmosphere.”