What do you call the opposite of a barn burner?

The American Fork Cavemen were able to come away with a victory Friday night over Bingham in an absolute slugfest, 48-37.

The game was the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Miners beat the Cavemen back in early January, 73-67. American Fork got its revenge when it matter most, holding Bingham to nearly half of what they scored against them earlier in the season.

If you love high offense basketball, you should probably look away. 37 points is far and away the Miners worst offensive performance of the season: 15 points less than any other game they played all season.

The Cavemen weren’t exactly flying off the walls either. Their 48 point performance is their second lowest total of the season, behind only their very first game of the year against who many consider the best team in the country, Montverde Academy.

It was pretty obvious what type of game it was going to be early on. After an impressive defensive display from both teams, the first quarter ended in a 9-6 American Fork lead.

Both teams continued to struggle finding a rhythm offensively in the first half. After trading a couple three-pointers and more stalwart defense, the two teams headed into the locker room with the Cavemen leading just 21-18.

The third quarter was all American Fork. Tiger Cuff started to find his shot and open up shots for his teammates; especially Jared Shepherd and Blake Rawson. Both finished with 10 points apiece, while Cuff lead the team in scoring with 16.

On the other side, Bingham came out of halftime colder than the top of Mount Timpanogos. The Miners just couldn’t hit a single shot in the third quarter. Literally. Their one point in the quarter came off of a free throw.

Both teams’ best offensive quarter came in the fourth. Bingham more than double its points in the fourth quarter alone, making a late push to make American Fork uncomfortable. The 14-point Cavemen lead had been whittled down to just six.

Cuff and Shepherd hit huge shots and a pair of free throws to put the lead back up to nine and American Fork never looked back. Free throws and defense sealed the game, and the Cavemen found themselves in the quarterfinals.

5-seed American Fork will matchup with 4-seed Corner Canyon Monday morning with a trip to the semifinals on the line. The Cavemen will need that stellar defense again, as the Chargers put up 90 points against Pleasant Grove Friday night.

The game will be played at 9:30 a.m. in the Huntsman Center.

Photo Credit: Tyler Staten

Sometimes, it’s just not your day and Friday certainly wasn’t American Fork’s day when it came to the basketball court. 

A high-scoring meeting between Lehi and American Fork ended in a Pioneers dominant win, 80-62. Lehi took the lead early and never looked back, keeping a double digit lead over half of the game.

The Cavemen defense was scrambling all night. Lehi canned 13 three pointers, where American Fork made just three. The Pioneers were led by Cooper Lewis and Easton Hawkins who combined for 68 points between them, six more points than the Cavemen scored as a team.

American Fork stayed close in the first quarter. Down just five, they appeared to be poised to give Lehi a good game. However the second quarter was a different story, as the Cavemen were outscored by 12. The 17 point halftime deficit proved to be too much and Lehi ran away with it.

American Fork was once again led by Tiger Cuff with 21 points. Jared Shepherd and Blake Rawson had 15 and 13 points respectively.

80 points is tied with the most points American Fork has allowed all season. The only other time they gave up that much was the season opener against Montverde Academy (Florida) — the number one team in the country and home of the consensus 2025 NBA Draft no. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg.

The Cavemen now stand 4-2 in league, still sitting at second place. Their only two losses have come to Lehi.

American Fork’s next matchup is with Pleasant Grove Tuesday night. The last time they met, the Cavemen beat them handily, 69-56. American Fork will look to bounce back and secure their spot in the league standings.

American Fork — After a slow start to the season, the American Fork High School Boys Basketball team now sits second in the league with just five games left in the season.

American Fork took down Skyridge in a hard-fought game. The Cavemen never trailed, stifling the Falcons offense en route to a 57-44 win Friday night to move to 11-7 overall, 4-1 in league.

American Fork was led by Tiger Cuff with 16 points, followed by Reece Dent with 11 points of his own. The biggest story of the game however was the Cavemen defense.

Skyridge ended the game with only four players scoring points, and they didn’t come easy. Amercican Fork put on the pressure early in the backcourt, and protected the rim. Skyridge stayed in the game with five threes from Tate Larson.

The Cavemen took a 10-point lead into halftime, and looked poised to run away with it, but the Falcons had other plans. A tight third quarter ended with a 8-0 Skyridge run to cut the lead to just five, and we had a game again.

Heading into the fourth quarter, head coach Ryan Cuff made adjustments, and American Fork’s lockdown defense came back. The Cavemen limited Skyridge to just seven points in the entire fourth quarter, and the game was over.

An attempt was made by students to storm the court, but it ended up just looking like a middle school dance: A bunch of kids standing around on the gym floor not knowing what to do.

The Cavemen now find themselves in a prime position near the end of the season, controlling their playoff destiny with the second best record in the league. With the first game against every conference member down, American Fork now awaits a rematch against everyone of the other five members.

American Fork’s lone loss in league play belongs to the first place team, Lehi who, coincidentally, have a single loss in league to Skyridge. The Cavemen and Pioneers will battle it out for first place next Friday night in American Fork.