Tooele got off to a lightning quick start against the top ranked Provo Bulldogs and was able to hang for the first half. After that it was all Provo led by Sophomore Kyle Collinsworth en route to a 65-35 victory over the Buffs.

Tooele was led by a gutsy performance by Matt Wihongi with 13 points followed by Tanner Stuart who dropped in nine points of his own.

Tooele jumped out to a quick 6-0 start thanks to two consecutive three-pointers by Wihongi and Stuart from seemingly the same spot in the corner.

Provo battled back but never took the lead from the Buffaloes until Kyson Koop hustled with a fast break lay up to put Provo up 14-13 at the end of the first.

Focusing on offense coach Ray Brazier said: "We need to continue to cut and slip into their zone defense to be able to be successful."

Tooele was able to break in the seams of the Provo defense early and often leading to high percentage shots down low. The only problem was that high percentage shots were not falling for the Buffs.

Boone Baird was able to get some nice touches in the key in the second quarter to grab five points but the quarter belonged to Provo. Thanks to strong drives by Collinsworth and sleek shooting from the outside the Bulldogs were able to expand the lead by 29-20.

Tooele came out determined in the second half but were again turned away. This time by the hot shooting of Scott Edwards who sank two big three pointers to hinder any comeback efforts by Tooele.

Heading into the final quarter down nearly 20 points, Tooele started off hot with Wihongi sinking a lay up and Stuart nailing a three-pointer. Unfortunately after Stuart sank his three the Buffs were unable to score the final five minutes of the game.

From there the top-ranked Bulldogs strolled to victory. Coach Brazier mentioned of the challenge of playing in a talent-laden Region 7, "We love the challenge of playing extremely tough teams every night, with our backs against the wall," Brazier said. "We embrace the roll of the underdog."

Tooele has yet to see a win in region play but it doesn't get them down. "The most impressive thing about these players is their ability to shrug off a loss and come back ready to go the next day, willing to learn," Brazier said. "They are a very resilient bunch of kids."

Tooele 3-9 (0-3) now travels to Springville to play the Red Devils Friday at 7 p.m.

Jake Gordon: jgordon@tooeletranscript.com