By Tom Zulewski, Iron County Today
With his team in the middle of a lengthy losing streak, Cedar boys basketball coach Tyler Monks knew his shooters could deliver clutch baskets when they mattered. Benson TIppets and Owen Ryan came through after halftime and the Reds walked away with a satisfying win.
Tippets scored 24 points and Ryan added 19 to help Cedar pull away in the second half and beat the Canyon View Falcons, 64-51, on Dec. 19 to stop a seven-game slide and improve to 3-7 on the season. Ryan scored all of his points after intermission and combined with Tippets to hit seven of the Reds’ 10 3-pointers in the win.
“We just told our kids to keep being the aggressors, and I thought if we kept going, we’d be in the spot we wanted to be in,” Monks said. “We did good stuff offensively and defensively.”
Both teams battled through a closely contested first half until Tippets hit one of his three 3-pointers that broke a 22-22 tie. The senior added a jumper in the closing seconds as Cedar took a 27-24 lead at the half.
“Benson was in a struggle. We said it couldn’t continue,” Monks said. “Same for Owen Ryan, and both guys nearly had 20 (points). We know what Ty (Rowley) can do, and we feel like we can be dangerous.”
After Jeter Sanders – who led all scorers with 26 points – hit a 3-pointer that tied the score at 27-27 early in the third quarter, Ryan and Tippets answered with 3-pointers of their own to give Cedar a six-point edge at 33-27 and force a Canyon View timeout.
Later in the period, Ryan would hit two more 3-pointers, and a Tippets jumper gave the Reds a 45-39 lead after three quarters. When the junior drained his fourth 3-pointer in the fourth quarter, it gave Cedar a 51-41 advantage and they weren’t seriously challenged after that.
For the game, the Reds were 16-of-21 (76 percent) at the free-throw line to Canyon View’s 11-of-15.
In their other game of the pre-holiday week, Cedar was held to 4 points in the third quarter and Snow Canyon pulled away for a 67-53 win in Region 9 play on Dec. 17. Reggie Mackay and Dylan Luke led four Warriors in double figures with 16 points apiece.
Owen Ryan led Cedar in the loss with 11 points and Liam Ryan added 10.
The Falcons’ second game of the week was a 61-54 loss at the Nest to the South Sevier Rams on Dec. 16. The teams were tied after three quarters, but the visiting Rams poured in 24 points over the final eight minutes and secured the victory.
Krew Redd led all scorers for South Sevier with 23 points and Anthony Camba paced Canyon View with 16 points in the loss.
CV wrapped up 2025 with three games at the annual Steve Hodson Cancer Classic Dec. 29-31. The Falcons faced Stansbury, Dixie and Carbon. A recap from the Classic will appear in the Jan. 8 edition.
Cedar played two home games to finish out the year against South Sevier on Dec. 30 and Payson on Dec. 31.
CEDAR 64, CANYON VIEW 51
Cedar 12 15 18 19 – 64
Canyon View 13 11 15 12 – 51
Cedar – Tippets 24, Ryan 19, Rowley 8, Crowley 2, Englebright 5, Crosby 2, Hassler 4. Totals 19 16-21 64 – 3-pointers – Tippets 3, Ryan 4, Rowley 2, Englebright 1.
Canyon View – Whittaker 2, Maine 5, Sanders 26, Meyer 11, Bealer 2, Camba 3, Barnes 2. Totals 18 11-15 51. 3-pointers – Maine 1, Sanders 2, Camba 1