Estimated read time: 5-6 minutes
SALT LAKE CITY — For the first time since he won the 5A basketball title in his first season, Lehi basketball coach Quincy Lewis is bringing another championship back to Main Street.
This time, he won't be the only Lewis holding the trophy.
Cooper Lewis poured in 30 points with three assists, and Easton Hawkins added 23 points, eight rebounds and three dimes as second-seeded Lehi won the 6A basketball title in its first year in the classification 78-67 over Corner Canyon.
It's the ninth championship for Lewis, the former seven-time state champ at Lone Peak and BYU assistant coach who made his return to the Utah preps scene in 2020 and immediately won a title with the Pioneers.
His ninth championship breaks a tie with former Provo High coach Craig Drury for the most in Utah High School Activities Association history. But Lewis has never been one to value his own accolades over those of his players, many of whom he treated like sons long before his own progeny joined his roster.
Rather than the father-son Lewis duo putting the Pioneers on their backs en route to a magical title run, a different father was on Hawkins' mind as he watched his teammates cut down the nets at the Jon M. Huntsman Center on Friday night: his own.
Hawkins lost this father two years ago, a sudden passing at just 45 years old. So when the Pioneers talk about being family, they mean it.
Like a good brother, Hawkins was there for Lewis, shooting 7-of-12 from the field and 2-of-5 from 3-point range while scoring 12 points in the first quarter before Lewis piled on 10-of-23 makes with five triples to lead all scorers.
"Coach is always telling me, I've got to come out and help (Lewis)," Hawkins said. "If he's scoring 27 points per game, he's going to draw so much attention. I just have to do my job and stick to my shots."
ONE-AND-OHHHHH 🏆 @lehibasketball wins the 6A state title in the Pioneers' first year in Utah's top classification. pic.twitter.com/s5cZf80shB
— KSL.com Sports (@KSLcomSports) March 2, 2024
The younger Lewis has been dreaming of this moment for a lot longer than four years.
"That was the plan from day one," Lewis said. "It's been as long as I could remember. Five years old, maybe. It's an incredible feeling, though."
"It's really special to win with him," the son added of his father. "There's no feeling like it. It's pretty exciting."
But on Friday night, the Pioneers proved they were more than the Cooper Lewis Show.
"When both of us are going at it, we're just unstoppable," Hawkins said. "We all play off each other really well. We're all best friends off the court, as well … I think that plays a big role in it."
Gabe Cowan added 10 points and six rebounds for the Pioneers (23-4), who shot 50% from the field, 42% from three and poured in 18 second-chance points on 13 offensive rebounds in their first championship since 2021.
Derelle Desire led Corner Canyon (19-8) with 20 points, nine rebounds and two assists, and USC signee Brody Kozlowski had 16 points, seven rebounds and three dimes for the Chargers.
Isaac Neibaur scored 14 points for Corner Canyon, which shot just 48.1% from the field and never led after
Hawkins helped Lehi overturn the Chargers' 9-0 start, pacing a 12-3 run with 12 points in the first quarter to finish at 17-17 after the first frame.
Cowan scored on a putback with 5:39 left in the half, and Lewis capped a 30-3 run with a 3-pointer that gave the Pioneers a 38-17 lead with 3:07 left in the half.
"You've got to give credit to Corner Canyon; that's a heck of a team," the younger Lewis said. "They're really well coached, and they won it last year. They're a great team."
Like father, like son.
"Corner made a great push at the beginning of the game, but we've been in some tough battles," the former BYU assistant coach and seven-time state champion at Lone Peak. "But our defense settled in and we got out in transition."
Lehi held the Chargers without a point in the second quarter until Kozlowski was fouled on a 3-point attempt with 2:43 left in the half. Corner Canyon did not have a field goal until Neibaur hit an unfinished 3-point play at the 2:09 mark of the second quarter.
But even after Wells Robertson finished a putback in transition to cut the Chargers' deficit to 14, Lewis beat the buzzer on the other end with a 3-pointer from 30 feet to give the Pioneers a 43-26 halftime lead.
Lewis scored 13 of his 16 first-half points in the second quarter, taking advantage of the Chargers' notice of Hawkins to pull Lehi to the 17-point advantage at the break.
Corner Canyon came out swinging in the third, when Neibaur capped a 9-1 run to pull within 56-41 midway through the quarter. But Lewis stretched the lead back to 20 with a 3-pointer from the left elbow as the Pioneers took a 63-46 advantage into the fourth.
Noah Bendinger opened the final period with back-to-back triples, plus a three the old-fashioned way after being fouled in transition to pull within 63-55 with 6:30 remaining.
The Chargers cut the deficit within single digits four times in the final four minutes. But every time, Lehi responded — through a breakaway dunk by Grayson Brousseau, free throws by Lewis or Hawkins' triple from the right wing with less than two minutes to play to help the Pioneers finish off a dream four years in the making of winning Utah's top classification.
"When we first took the Lehi job four years ago, I said, 'we're going there to win some championships,'" coach Lewis said. "It wasn't going to be easy, but we did what we had to do, build our program and get a lot of good kids involved."
KSL.com 6A all-tournament team
- MVP — Cooper Lewis, Lehi
- Easton Hawkins, Lehi
- Grayson Brousseau, Lehi
- Isaac Neibaur, Corner Canyon
- Derelle Desire, Corner Canyon
- Malcolm Johnson, Herriman
