Janice Wilkinson doesn't flash her shooting range very often. That's only because the Woods Cross senior prefers taking he ball to the rim. She picked an opportune time to show her skills Tuesday night. With her team down three with near one minute left to play in the Wildcats game at Sky View, Wilkinson hit a three-pointer to tie the game. After the Bobcats answered with a bucket, Wilkinson connected from behind the arc one more time to give the Wildcats a one-point lead.

Sky View connected on a free throw to tie the game with 10 seconds left, before Woods Cross' Jami Mokofisi was sent to the foul line with a chance to pull out an important road win. She hit one free throw to seal the 50-49 victory. Mokofisi led all scorers with 16 points, while Heather Anderson added 14, and Wilkinson 10.

"That was a plus one win to beat a team like that on the road," said Woods Cross coach Mitch Smith.

The Wildcats needed to get off to a good start in Region 5 and improved to 2-1 in league play. The win over Sky View is a good primer for their matchup this Friday against Bountiful.

Speaking of which, the Braves have gone on a mini tear after being throttled by 44 points by Davis. That loss on Dec. 15 easily could have marked the end of the Braves season if they would have allowed discouragement to creep in. It wasn't even the worse loss of the season for Bountiful, who was dropped by Clearfield by 55 points in the first game of the season. After the debacle against Davis, no one would have predicted the Braves would win their first three games in region.

The Braves defeated a game Sky View team at home, before going on the road and defeating Roy and Bonneville. The difference has been their defense. In games where the Braves hold their opponents under 40 points they are 4-0. In games that they don't, they are 1-6.

The emergence of guards Kate Pawlowski and Chelsea Forbes has been instrumental in the Braves turnaround. The two have combined for 30 points per game over their past three, which is good for 60 percent of the Braves total points.

They will be put to the test Friday night against Woods Cross and supreme defender Kassidy Christensen. Bountiful's ability to protect the ball against the ball-hawking perimeter defenders of Woods Cross will be the deciding factor in who wins.

"(Bountiful's) come a long way. (Kelly Anderson) does a good job," Woods Cross coach Mitch Smith said. "We know what they do. They're fundamentally sound, and they don't make mistakes. You know you're going to have to beat them, because they won't beat themselves."

Both Todd Street and Jeff Emery have to be scratching their heads at their teams' recent performances. Both Woods Cross and Viewmont had shown marked improvement throughout the preseason, and seemed prepared to start region play. After their opening games it didn't appear so.

Woods Cross and Box Elder entered their game Friday night with identical 4-6 records. The Bees left with a 19-point victory, a good start on the road in Region 5. The teams seemed evenly matched, but the Wildcat defense disappeared in the fourth quarter, allowing 31 points.

Viewmont on the other hand, struggled to score points in their Region 1 opener Tuesday night at home against Fremont. After starting the season 0-7, the Vikes had won two out of their last three games. Paul Rampton and Brian Stephenson were providing a nice 1-2 scoring punch, and the Vikes looked to be turning the corner.

Then they were shut down in their own gym 47-33 by the Silver Wolves. Rampton led the Vikes with eight points. The loss was not characteristic of the Vikings, who typically play extremely well at home.

The inconsistency of both the Vikes and the 'Cats can be traced to their lack of an inside scoring presence. As a result, there are some games they get hot from the outside and shoot teams out of the gym, and there are other games like the ones these two teams recently suffered through.

The Bountiful Braves have shot up to No. 1 in most 4-A rankings, yet talk to any of the players or coaches, and they'll tell you they haven't come close to playing their best ball. A scary thought, but the Braves may be right. As of now they are leaning heavily on the play of Ben Aird, who has responded with some huge statistical games. To win a state championship they'll need improved play over long stretches of time from sophomores Travis Parrish and Sean Carey. Both players have shown glimpses of their ability through the early stages of the season, but they can take a lot of pressure off Aird and Jordan Maxwell with their play.



bdevoe@davisclipper.com