Suffocating defense in the first and third quarters proved to be more than enough for the Wolves to reign supreme in their season opener.
Green Canyon limited host Pine View to a pair of points in the first quarter and five in the third en route to a 55-38 victory in the season opener for both 4A boys basketball programs on Thursday evening. Both teams are competing in the annual North vs. South Tournament.
The Wolves outscored the Panthers 10-2 during the opening eight minutes of action and never looked back. Green Canyon, 4A state semifinalist a season ago, won the third quarter by seven points to keep Pine View at bay.
"Our defense was really solid for our first game," GC head coach Logan Brown said. "We came out excited and played with a lot of energy. At the beginning I thought we played a little too erratic, but we responded really well in the second half. We also had balanced scoring and had guys step up when our shots didn't fall."
Future Division I college player Jude Haigh knocked down a pair of 3-pointer on his way to a game-high 13 points for the Wolves. Haigh, who has verbally committed to Holy Cross, is the son of Utah State women's assistant basketball Joe Haigh.
Gavin Crane chipped in with 11 points for the Wolves, followed by Boston Horman with nine and Jamison Thomson with seven. Adam Moore paced the Panthers with 11 points.
Sky View also traveled to southern Utah for the North vs. South Tournament and opened its season with a 69-41 loss to fellow 4A program Provo. The Bulldogs outscored the Bobcats by double digits in each of the final two quarters to turn a modest 31-25 halftime lead into a rout.
"Played well the first half, but came out flat from halftime defensively and struggled to score as well," SV head coach Kirk Hillyard said. "We will regroup quickly and be ready tomorrow for Desert Hills."
The Bulldogs outscored the Bobcats by 18 points from 3-point range and that was arguably the biggest difference in the game. Makai Allen poured in 24 points for Provo, immediately followed by fellow guard Gehrig Orchard with 22.
Standout wide receiver Liam Guthrie accounted for 10 points for Sky View, while Easton Mills chipped in with nine. Eight different Bobcats contributed in the scoring column, but only Mills and Guthrie finished with more than five.