The 2016 Kearns High basketball season comes to an end after an upsetting loss to Timpview High School. The Cougars wrap up the season with an 18-6 overall record. With the likes of Tayler Marteliz, Kur Kuath, Nick Valles, Mikey Hernandez, Journey Buba, and many more, Kearns put up an amazing 8-1 home record. The 2015 4A State Championship left Kearns hungry for another great run in the brackets. The hunt began against a Juan Diego team who fought to the end to take the Cougars to a 99-92 overtime victory. The Riverton Tournament would see Kearns make it to the final against Dixie, eliminating Hunter and Taylorsville along the way. Kearns would come up short of yet another championship as they fell to Dixie 58-56, and end their preseason.

A slow start to their Region VI games would come back later on to haunt the Cougars in their chase for a Region Championship. Kearns would lose 68-54 against the Olympus Titans, and 66-54 against Hillcrest, both away from home. Kearns bounced back quickly and got a win against Skyline, 44-38, at home. This lead to a 3 game winning streak before their run was cut short by a highflying Murray team. The Spartans beat the Cougars 68-57. The Cougars fell to third in Region VI, but their hopes for a Region Championship was still alive after beating Hillcrest and Skyline. Kearns welcomed the Murray Spartans to their home court, with a very decisive game on the line as Murray, Olympus, and the Cougars would fight for Region VI. Kearns would come back to haunt the Murray Spartans and defeat them 74-59, in a very intense and electrifying game at Kearns High. A Cougar victory over the Spartans meant that Kearns would stay third in region, qualifying them for the state playoffs. Murray dropped to second place after their loss to Kearns, allowing the Olympus Titans to win Region VI.

A year after the Kearns High Cougars came up short of a state championship, the Cougars would now have a chance to make another big run in the 4A State Basketball Playoffs. “I feel like we are playing to our potential. I believe we can make a good run again,” stated Marteliz, reflecting on his team. Their quest would begin against an East High team, who was favored to win. The game took place on February 29, 2016 at the UCCU Center, located at Utah Valley University. The score at halftime saw the Cougars trailing 23-21. Kearns would try to take the lead in the third quarter, but a strong East team would continue to lead, 39-30, at the end of third. A Cougar comeback was on the verge as the game was tied 48-48 with 1:50 left to play. Kearns missed a handful of free throws, and missed the opportunity to take the lead. With 3.2 seconds left in the game, Mikey Hernandez passed the ball to Nick Valles, who would take a crazy half court shot at the buzzer to eliminate and stun East High. 51-48, the Cougars triumphed, and would advance to the quarterfinals. March 2nd would prove to be decisive for the Kearns Cougars season, as they took on the Timpview Thunderbirds. Everything was set at the Jon M. Huntsman Center, located at the University of Utah, for tipoff. The Cougars rallied in the first quarter, taking a 12-9 lead. The close encounter opened up more in the second quarter with the Thunderbirds taking a 26-22 lead at the half. Kearns were not out of the game yet as they spent most of the third quarter down by five points. Going into the fourth and final quarter, Timpview had the 40-35 lead over Kearns. Fouls and free throws would hurt the Cougars throughout the fourth quarter, and their hopes for another great run would come to a heartbreaking 58-42 loss to the Timpview Thunderbirds. Kearns may have been eliminated in the quarterfinals, but the students of Kearns High was still proud of their basketball team’s’ achievements this season. Congratulations Kearns High basketball, until next year!