Copper Hills finishes second in region
Mar 04, 2021 01:20PM ● By Greg James
Junior Quincy Hills leads the Grizzlies with 3.6 assists per game this season. (Photo courtesy of Dave Reeder.)
By Greg James | [email protected]
Copper Hills is making its presence known in Region 3 basketball.
The Grizzlies had just two region losses this season, and both came at the hands of crosstown rival Bingham. In the first loss, the Miners held the Grizzlies to just 39 points, a season-low.
Copper Hills finished in second place in Region 3. The Grizzlies were defending champions having won the last four region titles.
Junior McCoy Langston has stepped forward as a leader for the Grizzlies. The 6-foot-6-inch forward has scored in double figures in 11 of 15 games this season. He scored a season-high 25 points at Herriman on Jan. 26. His increase in scoring has directly coincided with a better proficiency at shooting three-pointers; he leads the team with 38 this season.
Carson Butler has made 37 three-point shots this season. He has 119 in his high school career and amassed over 500 points in that period.
Quincy Hills has averaged 3.6 assists a game, leading the team.
Copper Hills started the season with a 20-point victory over Hillcrest. I was able to pull away in the fourth quarter for that win. Langston had 14 points.
The Grizzlies are averaging 16.6 points in the fourth quarter. They have scored as many as 25; the low point of the year came Feb.12 against Riverton with nine.
Overall, the Grizzlies ended the regular season with a 13-5 record. Three of those losses came in the Skyridge Holiday tournament to Skyridge, Davis and Layton.
They ranked eighth in the final Utah High School Activities Association’s rating performance index. They ended last season ranked eighth as well. The RPI is used to seed the teams into the state tournament bracket.
John Watkins is in his second year as head coach. He had been an assistant coach with the team for 13 seasons. He took over last season after Andrew Blanchard stepped down.
The Grizzlies lost in the second round of the state playoffs last season to Westlake 61-56. They defeated Granger in the first round by 15 points. In 2019 they lost in the quarterfinals to American Fork.
