12:00 AM, Feb. 16, 2012
| HURRICANE - Hard work and a little luck goes a long way on the basketball court.
Hurricane is certainly proof of that as it got the upper hand on Cedar by winning the Region 9 coin toss Tuesday, and then added 65-41 rout over Canyon View on Wednesday, locking in the Tigers as the second seed for the upcoming 3A state tournament.
It was a good two days for Hurricane.
"This season's gone as I'd expected and hoped for," first-year Hurricane coach Brian Vaifanua said. "The kids have been really coachable and responsive to what we wanted to do. ... We're a little disappointed we didn't win region and get the top seed, but we feel like we're still in good position for the playoffs."
The Tigers will host Park City (11-10 overall) from Region 10 on Saturday.
It will be the last game in the school's original gym as they transition into a new building next winter. To go out in style, the student body is encouraging a blackout game, meaning those who will be attending should wear all-black attire in support of Hurricane.
In any case, Vaifanua is eager for the upcoming first-round bout.
"We can't overlook anybody in the state tournament," he said. "We can't judge a team solely based off their record because everybody in the tournament will have a solid team."
The coach said he doesn't know a lot about Park City's personnel, but his areas of focus include taking care of the basketball and a strong defensive mindset - clearly essentials that have carried Hurricane (9-3 region, 15-5 overall) to another state tournament appearance.
It was those same attributes that led to their win over Canyon View (0-12, 6-14).
Ahead 17-11 early in the second quarter, the Tigers rolled to a 12-4 run in a matter of minutes.
Whether it was point guard Weston Yardley's captaining of the offense, Rich Benson's (nine points) outside shooting or center Boston Gubler's right hooks off the glass and dominance of the paint, Hurricane proved too experienced in all areas of the game against the rebuilding Falcons.
Gubler led all scorers with 19 points and 13 rebounds with forward Colton Marshall contributing 14 points and nine rebounds. Landon Fisher (10 points and four steals) was the other Tiger in double-figures offensively.
Kameron King led Canyon View with 17 points (three 3-pointers). Bryce Oliver and Chad Corry combined for 16 points.
Although the region season wasn't ideal for the Falcons, they feel their rebuilding project is heading in the right direction under first-year coach Robbie Potter.
Hurricane entered halftime up 39-22, and the production was more of the same in the second half as a 9-2 Tigers' run to start the third kept the momentum on the side of the home team en route to their convincing victory.
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