A slice of basketball recaps

I am asking the great readers of this blog to critique the following game recaps. What worked? What did not? Consider this a call to action, so go to work!
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ST. GEORGE – Maurice Cole (Norwalk, CA/Santa Fe) began the night with a lay-in, and never looked back.

The senior point guard had 18 points, seven assists and five rebounds to lead Dixie State College to victory 81-70 over Montana State-Billings on Tuesday inside the Burns Arena.

Dixie State improved to 2-1 on season by taking a page out of the MSUB (2-1) playbook. A quick strike offense led to easy buckets, a 7-0 opening run, and ultimately a 40-25 halftime lead. Cole led all scorers at the break with 10 points.

MSUB guard Antoine Proctor netted the first six Jacket points in the second half before DSC responded with a 10-0 run primarily made with lay-ups. Griffon Jones (Cheney, WA/Cheney) had six points and six rebounds during the major push, ending the night with a double-double (14 points, 11 rebounds). He also swatted four shots, tying for the third highest single-game total in the DSC record book.

Dixie State led by 20 points with 6:53 remaining in the game before Jaxon Myaer singlehandedly brought the Yellowjackets back. The former Judge Memorial star and Utah State transfer hit five three-pointers pulling MSUB to within six points, 71-65, at the 2:08 mark. Myaer led all scorers with 22 points.

Cole and Solomon Jensen (Centerville, UT/Viewmont) each chipped in two points for a quick 4-0 spurt to get the advantage back to double digits in the final minute.

Four DSC players were in double figures including 12 points each from Dalton Groskreutz (St. George, UT/Snow Canyon) and Derek Owen (St George, UT/Dixie). Jensen, limited to just 16 minutes, had nine points.

The Red Storm shot 54.2 percent (26-of-48) for the game and 27-of-35 from the charity stripe (77.1 percent).

Dixie State hits the road for the first time on Nov. 25-26 for a post-Thanksgiving tournament in Grand Junction, Colo. The Storm face CSU-Pueblo on Friday at 3 p.m. and Colorado Mesa on Saturday at 7 p.m.
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ST. GEORGE – A night removed from posting 42 points against Seattle Pacific, the lowest single-game point total in any regular season game since 2006, Dixie State College shot a blistering 64.3-percent in the opening half and posted the same number in the first half en route to a 79-60 non-conference win over Minot State.

Dixie State improved to 1-1 on the year thanks to 50 points scored by players off the bench, while the Beavers fell to 0-2.

A pair of Maurice Cole (Norwalk, CA/Santa Fe) three-pointers and a fast break dunk from Dalton Groskreutz (St. George, UT/Snow Canyon) highlighted a 12-0 run that set the blueprint for Dixie State in the opening half. DSC led by as many as 28 points late in the first half before taking a 44-21 advantage into the lockers.

The Red Storm scorched the nets connecting on 18-of-28 shots from the field, including six from beyond the arc.

Minot State played the aggressors by outscoring the Red Storm 19-6 over the first seven minutes cutting a 23-point deficit to 10 at the 13:48 mark.

Sophomore forward Steven Larson (South Jordan, UT/Copper Hills) then took the team on his back, scoring eight of his team-high 12 points in the second half. Dixie State built the lead back up 24 points with four minutes left.

Jonas Pollard score five points late to trim the DSC cushion. Pollard led all players with 17 points.

Landon Clegg (Cedar Hills, UT/Lone Peak) had six rebounds and 10 points off the bench. Derek Owen (St George, UT/Dixie) had 11 points and Groskreutz nabbed 10 points.

Dixie State hosts Montana State Billings on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. in the Burns Arena for a West Region non-conference matchup.

5 Random Thoughts

Leading into an action-packed weekend of sports at Dixie State College, five thoughts rattle through my brain:

1) Is Cache Morgan healthy? - The junior safety suffered a concussion two weeks ago against Central Washington and missed last week's road game at Western Oregon. Can the Red Storm's leading tackler return to the field and limit the deadly passing attack presented by Humboldt State?

2)  Will an upset occur in Provo? - Both men's and women's basketball heads to BYU for exhibition play on Friday. If I had to choose which team had the better chance, it would be the men. The final four minutes of Tuesday's game against Westminster College proved that this year's team can play with heart and energy. For the women to pull the upset, guard Shiela Adams cannot miss from distance.

3) Run Rachel, run - Dixie State's best cross country runner, Rachel Young, competes at the NCAA West Region Cross Country meet Saturday in Spokane, Wash. Young won the Pacific West Conference individual title last Saturday in Phoenix and another good showing could qualify her for nationals.

4) Spikers home finale - Darice Pratt has learned a lot of lessons in her first season as Red Storm volleyball coach. Saturday night, she will see her first class of seniors play its final match inside the Old Gym. The club can set a good precedent by upending Grand Canyon and building towards the future.

5) Soccer season wrapping up - One team at Dixie State is having the best season in program history, while the other is in the middle of the conference pack. Men's soccer will say goodbye to four seniors, including the first ever program signee Zac Hales. Men's soccer has a chance to secure a winning record with one win over its last two games. For the women, they have relied on the athleticism of younger players this season, despite the roster having eight seniors. The Storm play Grand Canyon at home Thursday and finish the regular season Saturday at Cal Baptist.