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Show WITS SECTION THURSDAY, FEBRUARY SPORTS EDITOR Darnell Dickson 344-255- 5 t, 2007 ddicksonheraldextra.com UTAH JAZZ Jazz hold on to lead for win against Spurs J0l0K"Tt Doug Alden THE k ASSOCIATED PRESS "ri SALT LAKE CITY After learning Carlos Boozer would be out sev eral weeks, Mehmet Okur mmlm took over Boozer's spot JAZZ on the floor and in the box SPURS score. Okur scored 14 of his 31 points in the fourth quarter, including eight in the final minute to lead the Utah Jazz to a 3 win DOUGLAS C. PIZACAssociated Press over the San Antonio Spurs on Utah Jazz guard Deron Williams (8) races San Antonio Wednesday night. e Utah ended a Spurs guard Tony Parker (9), of France, to the losing basket during the first quarter on Wednesday. streak, winning for the first time 97-9- two-gam- since Boozer banged his knee last week in a game against the Hornets. The Jazz learned earlier Wednesday that Boozer's injury was mmmm more than just a bruise it's a hairline fracture 97 93 just below the knee and could keep him out sev- eral weeks. "It was a must win game for us, especially without Carlos," said Okur, who also led Utah with 1 1 rebounds. "That's how we've got to play night in, night out. Without Boozer, everybody's got to step up." Darnell Dickson And just about everybody did. Rookie Paul Millsap had 15 points, eight rebounds and two blocks, Rafael Araujo and seldom-use- d had seven points, five rebounds and frustrated San Antonio's Tim Duncan with very physical defense. Araujo also had two steals, including one when he knocked the ball out of Duncan's hands and started a break for Utah. "The encouraging thing was that Rafa played well and Millsap keeps getting better every day," Jazz coach Jerry Sloan said. "That's a tremendous thing for this franchise." BYU 76, UTAH The Front Row 66 The Jazz also pulled down 50 rebounds to San Antonio's 32 and guaranteed that Utah can do no worse than a season split with the Spurs, who have swept the Jazz five of the last six years. Millsap played the entire fourth quarter and was crashing to the floor' and sprawling for every loose ball that came within range. It was the kind of play Sloan loves to see and Utah will need as Boozer recovers. Boozer has averaged 22 points and almost 12 rebounds and has 33 in 45 games. double-double- s See JAZZ, B3 mm No UlULVU TAVERNARI After a PROVIDING 13-ye- ar drought at the Huntsman Center BYU gets win over Utes Jared NEEDED 'BANG' The ... long, long, long Lloyd DAILY HERALD Move over, Robbie Reid, Russell Larsen and Ken Roberts. Your reign as the last BYU team to knock off Utah in the Huntsman Center is finally long, winning streak the had over the Cougars in Salt Lake City went out not with a bang, but a whimper. But I suppose that depends on what side of the arena you're sitting on. BYU fans will savor this one, even if it does come in a down year for the Utes. BYU SHOULD have beaten Utah on Wednesday the Cougars are simply a better team. "The long, long, So, long ... long, long winning streak the Utes had over the Cougars in Salt Lake City went out with a bang, not a whimper." A "hanff" would indicate "ex pressiveness," and if that's what you're wanting, look no further than BYU freshman Jonathan 4 rj over. The Cougars used a 10-- run at the end of the first half and start of the second to blow open a close game Wednesday night, then cruised to the victory over the Utes. "That was a great team win," I 0 76-6- 6 i t said BYU head coach Dave Rose. "It feels really good (to beat Utah). It's good for the players and also for the program. This is one of those things we wanted to do as a program." The last victory for the Cougars in Salt Lake City came on Jan. 8, 1994 when Reid hit a late J, trey to beat Utah, The experience of breaking the streak was seet for all of the players, especially the seniors. "It was a blast," said senior 64-6- Tavernari. There's plenty of credit to go around for Wednesday's 6 BYU victory, convincing r irortr rrrr rramo r1a K; frnm VUl BHVIJ gVAAl CUUV, S11U1 the coaches to Keena Young's 21 points (Utah couldn't guard him) to Jimmy Balderson's hot shooting at the beginning of the second half to Gavin McGregor's solid and unexpected play off the bench. But every one of the 12,244 fans' in the Huntsman Center 76-6- 1 1 See BYU, B4 Tale of the tape Player of the game Jonathan was watching Tavernari. INb. 45 put on a show. ike looked lost early in the season; most freshmen do. '. But when he got it, boy, did he get it. outThere was an burst against TCU, and 12 more against Wyoming, then 18 on the road at New Mexico. On Wednesday night, Tavernari scored 17 points a good game, but it was the way the Brazilian sensation scored them that shows such a bright promise for the future. Dude has some flair to his game. My first chance to see Tavernari came during his junior year , Tavernari, F, BYU Tavernari scored 17 points, and he went on a 2 run against the Utes to give the lead Cougars an with 10:39 left In the game. 7-- . 'Play of the game nt After opening the second half with a seven-poin- t lead, Jimmy Balderson and Lee Cummard hit to give BYU a lead back-to-ba- 13-pol- What it mean The Cougars broke a r losing the Huntsman Center to move into a tie for first place in the MWC. streak COBB CONDIE Associated Press BYtfs Trent Malsted dunks in the face of Utah's Luke Nevill in the first half of BYU's See DICKSON, B4 76-6- 6 In , victory on Wednesday. INSIDE VALLEY PREPS llassey help ing Payson reach the top . Neil K. Warner ' i DAILY HE HALO aged a whopping 29 points per game his senior year at Payson in 1990, and not only at Weber State, but was Elayed to the Weber State HaB of Fame in 2006 wins and offers Massey his highest ,'" Practice is over. Most of the players have gone home, but Payson's McKay Massey is on the court challenging Payson assistant coach Jimmy DeGraffenried to a game of oneon-one- . - DeGraffenried, who is Moot-6- powers his way inside and scores. Massey, who is answers with a jumper. : Back and forth they go until who aver DeGraffenried 6-- , compliment. "You've scored more points on me than anybody else." Massey has been scoring regularly on most of the Utah County teams and has been a big reason why the Lions are ranked No. 1 in 4A and sit alone on top of Region 1, not about to call attention to , himself. Boasting is not Massey's thing. Massey is the youngest of seven children in a basketball family if there ever was one His two older brothers both played for Payson, and so did three of his sisters. He calls his brother Kevin the best player space in the family and when asked Massey 's game is making a lot of noise for those who catch what the strength of his game is he said, I try to be smart on his act, but some people may not nave heard much about the court and be coachable Not a word about his amaz the senior guard because he's "I think he's a great shooter. He's proven it game after game,' DeGraffenried said. "He has the ability to get his shot off wit h someone right on him and there's not a kit of high school players that can do that. He has a great first step that they have to respect and that gives him that extra ; ing shooting, not until it is pried out of him. "I guess I shoot the ball fairly well," he reluctantly added. Fairly well if you call averaging 18.0 points per game (third in 4A) and leading all of made with 47 4A in in 16 games. "1 look at his shooting percentage from behind the arc and see that he's 75 percent against Timpview, and 66 percent in another game," said See X COBS CONDIllwl HfrM Payson's McKay Mamy ralsts up for a shot against Orem on MASSEY, B5 Tuesday. |