KAYSVILLE — The Davis Darts had two things on their mind entering Friday night’s game against the Clearfield Falcons — get their revenge, and win the Region 1 championship.

They did both, as they defeated Clearfield 57-39 to take the Region 1 crown with only one game remaining on their schedule.

“You have to give Clearfield a ton of credit first off,” said Davis coach Jay Welk. “That school has one of the best coaches around the county. That team should be proud of what they’ve accomplished this year.”

The first half was dominated by defense for both teams, as neither was able to score 20 points by the break. In the first quarter, James Cowser and Jordan Welk started the scoring off with a pair of field goals early.

Clearfield responded with a pair of field goals themselves, but the scoring stalled to a 10-7 Davis lead.

In the second, Welk and Cowser proved to be the scoring trio again, racking up points while being solid on defense and around the boards. For Clearfield, Jordan Hanson and Jordan Brandley combined to score nine of the team’s 10 points in the quarter; also, Hanson threw in an assist while Brandley had two rebounds in the quarter.

Despite Clearfield’s efforts, Davis still had a slim two-point lead at the half.

“They’re a man team defense,” said Welk. “They’ve been that way for awhile and they do well with it.

“Their ability to keep people away from the basket is what helps them win games.”

That was not the case coming out of the half, as Davis went on a 10-4 run to start the second half. After Cowser nailed two free throws from being fouled, he came back on offense a few plays later and scored two more points for Davis.

Cowser’s other teammates soon joined the offensive scoring as Welk, Brandt Bennett, and Casey Nye all scored in the quarter. While they did allow the Falcons to score in double digits, the Darts put up 16 points to take a six point lead into the fourth.

“The best part about this team is that there is never one person taking care of the scoring, or rebounding, or passing,” said Welk. “They all do equal parts of everything.

“And it’s not just the starters, but the bench players as well. Many of these kids come off the bench and do just as well as the starters. The depth of this team is amazing.”

In the fourth, Davis continued to put up the points, while Clearfield was having problems finding the basket. Halfway through the fourth, Davis had another 10-4 run to build on their lead. After a Clearfield time out, Davis put in another three scores. By the time Clearfield had built up any sort of a come back, the game was over.

And Davis had repeated (for the fourth time) as Region 1 champions.

Welk stated a player to watch for coming into the playoffs will be Alex Nelson, who only had six points but made fits for the Darts players during the game.

“Alex is a great player,” said Welk. “We tried to stay with him both games and not give him that many scoring opportunities. We did that really well tonight.”

For Davis, Cowser was nearly perfect on the night. He was a perfect six-for-six from the floor and only missed two of his free throw attempts. All told he had 16 points, four rebounds and three assists. Welk also scored in double figures, dropping in 11 points for the Darts.

For Clearfield, Hanson scored 22 points while Alex Nelson was held to six points and 10 rebounds.

The Darts will play one final game today, and then will have a week to get ready for the playoffs.

sgillet@davisclipper.com