Like a well-oiled machine, the Olympus boys basketball team is once again racking up the victories. 

The defending Class 5A state champions are once again looking like one of Utah top prep teams. The Titans were 14-1 after 15 games. Heading into the third full week of January, the team was a perfect 4-0 in Region 6. The loss the Titans suffered during this 15-game span was a two-point loss at Class 6A’s Davis on Dec. 13. Davis just so happens to be No. 2 in 6A’s RPI rankings. 

This season, Olympus has had some one-sided wins, and it has also found a way to come out on top in close contests. The Titans had seven wins by double digits and five by 20 points or more during this stretch. Matt Barnes’ squad also played well in the clutch in a close victory over Highland (46-45 on Jan. 7), for example. 

Junior guard Gavin Lowe has arguably been the team’s top performer. 

As a sophomore a year ago, Lowe scored just under 10 points a game, serving as a complement to Dutch DowDell and Jordan Barnes, who graduated. This season, Lowe has been the go-to guy, and he hasn’t disappointed. After 15 games, Lowe was averaging 21.8 points an outing, first in 5A and fourth in the entire state. He is also the second-leading rebounder on the team with an average of 4.3 boards a game. He paces Olympus in assists with 4.3 and 2.4 a game, respectively. 

Lowe scored in double figures in each of the team’s first 15 games, with a season-best 27 points coming on three occasions. He netted that figure in back-to-back games against Murray and Cottonwood Dec. 30 and 31, as well as against Alta on Jan. 17. His best all-around game of the season, statistically speaking, was in the season opener against Northridge on Nov. 26. In that matchup, he wasn’t too far away from recording an incredibly rare quadruple-double: 22 points, six rebounds, 12 assists and seven steals. 

But Lowe is hardly the only player to watch for the Titans. 

Fellow junior guard Caden Jackson is a player that Barnes likes having in the lineup. Jackson averages 11.3 points a game and is the top three-point shooter on the squad. He had nine double-digit scoring games through 15 contests, highlighted by a 23-point effort in the season opener when he drilled seven three-pointers. He also hit five three-pointers at Syracuse on Dec. 14 and five more against Brighton in a key region game on Jan. 14, a 68-54 Olympus victory. 

Seniors Luke Owen and Ty Goldsberry, who have bided their time at Olympus and are now getting more minutes than ever, average more than eight points a game apiece. Another senior, Malakai Philip, has been a solid contributor. Sophomore Davian Lazarus has been a pleasant surprise. 

The Titans have plenty more action ahead. Olympus has six foes in Region 6 and will play each one twice. The final regular-season game is at home against Skyline on Feb. 13. The Class 5A state tournament starts on Feb. 19 with first-round games on the home courts of higher-seeded teams. Olympus will almost certainly get a first-round bye and will start its postseason run in the second round, which gets underway Feb. 21. The quarterfinals, semifinals and finals will be held at the University of Utah at the Jon M. Huntsman Center, the same arena where Olympus won the state title a season ago. 

At press time, the Titans held the top spot in the 5A RPI rankings. λ