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Hot-shooting Davis outmuscles Granger in state tourney opener

Orem • A coach never knows quite what to expect when a team steps out to play in the first round of a state basketball tournament.

Davis’ Chad Sims had to be a bit concerned when Granger went on a 10-0 run early in the game to take a 10-3 lead.

It turned out Sims had nothing to worry about. His Darts scored 25 points in the first quarter and roared to a surprisingly easy 72-48 victory over overmatched Granger in Tuesday’s first round of the Class 6A boys’ basketball state tournament at UVU.

“It feels like it has taken us all year to get our team together,” Sims said. “We’ve had injuries. We’ve been sick. We’ve finally got our guys together.”

The Darts were too long and tall for the Lancers. Center Rich Stucki, who is 6 foot 9, and 6-6 Tyson Garff both had big games, especially in the first half. Guard Josh Sanders, who hit 4 of 7 from 3-point land and finished with 20 points, kept Granger from packing it in down low on defense.

“In the first quarter, we wanted to come out strong, and so that’s what we did,” said Stucki, who had 17 points, three rebounds, three assists, two blocked shots, a steal and no turnovers. “We came together. We want to play more games together and don’t want to stop. We just want to keep playing.”

Davis’ 3-point barrage in the first half was particularly impressive, hitting 8 of 16. And they dominated on the offensive glass, getting second and third opportunities.

By the time Davis built a 27-point lead in the third quarter, this one was over.

The Lancers got decent games from Roulervee Vann, Jason Murillo and Anel Alagic who all scored in double figures but just could not match Davis’ height and shooting prowess after that early run.

“We shot the ball really well the last couple of games,” Sims said. “The problem is we have to get stops. We have been focussing on that the last couple of games. We have a little bit of length. Rich defensively was really good today.”

DAVIS 72, GRANGER 48 <br>• Josh Sanders scores 20 points, Tyson Garff 19 and Rich Stuck 17 as Davis uses a 25-point first quarter to blow out Granger. <br>• Roulervee Vann, Jason Murillo and Anel Alagic all hit double figures for Granger. <br>• The Darts shoot a blistering 53.7 percent from the field as they build leads as large as 27 points.