It took a strong defensive effort to hold Monument Valley at bay while the Dugway boys basketball team’s offense got off to a sluggish start in the Sevier Valley Center in Richfield.

But once their offense found some rhythm in the second and third quarters it was too much for the Cougars as the Mustangs advanced to the quarterfinals with a 60-46 victory Wednesday night in the first round of the 1A state tournament.

Nathan Lundy led Dugway with 17 points on the night while three other Mustangs finished in double figures. Zach James tallied 13 while Morgan Kartchner and Dakota Woolett finished with 12 and 11 points respectively.

Dugway just couldn’t seem to find any consistency on offense in the first quarter but their defense keep them in the game. After Danner June connected on a fast-break layup that cut the Dugway lead to 8-7, that is when the Mustangs went on a run.

“We always come out of the gates slow in games,” said Dugway head coach George Bruce. “We came out soft.”

Lundy made four points in the low-post late in the first for Dugway that helped them take a small 16-12 lead as the first quarter ended.

As for Dugway’s offense to show up, it is better late than never. Right after Joshua Nelson sank two free throws to bring Dugway’s lead to only four points, 21-17, again the Mustangs responded with a impressive run.

Thanks to their pressure defense causing havoc for the Monument Valley guards, Dugway built a 14-2 run behind five points from Woolett and four from James. The run gave the Mustangs a 35-19 lead with only 1:53 to play in the half. Offensive rebounds were another factor in Dugway constructing such a large lead but coach Bruce mentioned that his team needs to make their layups when they do get the offensive rebounds.

With a 16-point lead already in hand at halftime, Dugway turned up their defensive pressure even more by only allowing Monument Valley to score four points in the entire period. Kartchner and James took advantage on offense scoring five points each in the decisive third quarter that gave the Mustangs a spacious 54-25 lead heading into the final quarter.

In the fourth coach Bruce gave his bench players a chance to get some minutes in the state tournament. The Cougars never gave up in the fourth and severely outscored the Dugway subs 21-6 but the Mustang lead was so large that the fourth quarter only made the game appear closer then it actually was.

“We only made 8-of-30 shot inside the paint today,” Bruce said. “But I am glad we got a win in the tournament.”

Dugway moves on to play Rich High School today in the quarterfinals in Richfield.

Jake Gordon: jgordon@tooeletranscript.com