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Miner boys win three of four in tourney

The Riverton Holiday Tournament got off to a rough start for the Park City High School boys’ basketball team on Saturday.

Playing against Spanish Fork, the Miners held a four-point lead going into the fourth quarter. However, a quick start to the final period by the Dons erased the Park City lead in what eventually became a 61-57 loss.

Though the Miners have only lost two games this season, struggling in the fourth quarter has been a theme thus far. Park City Coach Caleb Fine said the team just needs to be a little more careful with the basketball as the game is winding down.

"We had three great opportunities in the last minute," he said. "We’ve got to find a way to take advantage of those possessions. When three things go wrong in the last minute, if any of those go right, we probably win the game."

Sam Kingdon led Park City with 16 points in the loss. Bosten Van Der Veur had 12 points, Drew Fleming had nine and Beau Story added eight. Reid Marks (seven points), Jack Lecher (three) and Logan Holbrook (two) also contributed.

After losing on Saturday, the Miners had Sunday off before returning to the court Monday against 4A Skyline. Park City opened its season by beating Skyline at PCHS 71-58 on Nov. 25. Beating a team twice in one season is never an easy task, but the Miners got the job done, holding on for a 54-46 victory.

Fine said the Miners showed great resolve against the Eagles after losing the first game of the tourney.

"They showed a willingness to compete and play hard," he said. "We’re really pleased with how they bounced back. We could have easily packed it in while playing a bunch of bigger schools and said, ‘let’s just get done with these next four games,’ but we didn’t."

Against Skyline, Van Der Veur scored 23 points to lead the way. Marks added 15, Kingdon had nine, Story added six and Holbrook chipped in with one point.

On Tuesday afternoon, Park City picked up a big win against Cyprus. After one quarter, the Miners trailed 15-10. After that, Park City exploded offensively, scoring 20-plus points in each of the remaining three quarters to earn a blowout 76-44 victory.

Marks had his best game of the season, scoring 28 points to pace the Miners. Van Der Veur added 23 points and Story (nine), Fleming (five), Kingdon (four), Holbrook (four), Lecher (two) and Spencer Zur (one) also found their way onto the score sheet.

On Wednesday, the Miners played their final game of the tournament, this time against Kearns. It was a tough battle, but Park City came out on top in the end, 66-61.

"This was a good team, Kearns," he said. "Even though it was far from perfect, we played harder more often than they did."

Kingdon led the way with 22 points, Van Der Veur had 17 and Marks added 12 in the win. Story had eight points, Nesta Heaps had five and Holbrook had two.

With Kingdon (twice), Marks and Van Der Veur all leading the Miners in scoring at different points in the tournament, Fine said he’s pleased with how the offense is coming along.

"Reid really got it going against Cyprus, attacking well and finishing at the basket," he said. "Then Sam really took over in the paint against some really good athletes on that Kearns team. Everyone on our team is growing offensively. We were tough to guard, overall."

With Region 10 play inching closer, Park City (10-2) only has two games left (at Ben Lomond on Wednesday and at Grantsville on Friday) to prepare. Fine said there are plenty of things to work on, but added that defense will be the primary focus.

"On the bus ride home, the coaching staff listed off about 35 things we need to work on," he laughed. "We can’t fix them all in a week, but the main thing is this team will be as good as its defense can be."

Park City’s next home game is the Region 10 opener against Uintah on Jan. 13. That game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. tip-off.


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