The Dugway Mustangs didn't get much of a reward for going undefeated in Region 18 this year when it came to seeding in the state tournament. The Mustangs ended up in a bracket which included three of the top four ranked teams in the state.

Dugway dropped its opening game last Wednesday to Tabiona 49-34 and then had to face Whitehorse High School on Thursday, a team which entered the tournament as the top team in 1A.

"Whitehorse was the best team at the tournament, although they lost their first game," said Dugway coach George Bruce.

Piute edged Whitehorse on Wednesday and then advanced to the state championship game on Saturday, losing to state champion Escalante.

After losing on Wednesday, Whitehorse went on to win three in a row and finish sixth in the tournament.

On Thursday Dugway stayed with Whitehorse for one half and trailed 32-25 at intermission. But the Raiders turned it on in the third quarter outscoring Dugway 23-11 to cruise to a 76-59 win and send the Mustangs home.

In Thursday's game, junior guard Morgan Kartchner turned in a phenomenal shooting performance scoring 35 points thanks to eight three-pointers.

"Overall, I was happy with the players' performance they gutted it out against two great teams. You hate to see teams you have beaten advance further than you do, but we were in a tough bracket," Bruce said.

"We have four of our five starters back next year. Ever since we left Green River, Morgan's (Kartcher) been trying his best to get everybody on the same page. We're still a little young and immature," the coach said.

Dugway's only loss on the season prior to the two at the state tournament was at Green River. In a tight game the Pirates edged the Mustangs 46-43 back on Feb. 12.

In Dugway's final game against Whitehorse, junior Zach James scored 15, junior Dakota Woolett 5 and senior Preston Edwards 4.

Wendover Wildcats

After losing to Monticello on the opening day, Wendover lost 74-43 to Christian Heritage on Thursday.

Wildcats' post player Victor DeSantiago finished the night with 22 points and 13 rebounds, while Jose Rosales drained three three-pointers and scored 11 points.

DeSantiago completed a good tournament scoring 21 points the day before against Monticello.

Wendover finished with an 8-14 record overall for the season while Dugway lost only three games this year to finish 20-3.

Mark Watson: mwatson@tooeletranscript.com