Making History: Westlake basketball does it the right way in securing a first ever boys athletic state championship
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- Westlake boys basketball players hold up the 6A state championship trophy after beating Bingham at the Huntsman Center on Saturday, Feb. 27, 2026.
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- Westlake boys basketball players celebrate in the stands after winning the 6A state title at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, Feb. 27, 2026.
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- Westlake coach Nate Carling (in tie) holds the 6A boys basketball state championship trophy during an interview at the Huntsman Center on Friday, Feb. 27, 2026.
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- Brody Thompson does interviews after Westlake wins the 6A boys basketball state championship at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, Feb. 27, 2026.
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- Graydin Anderson reacts to the crowd after Westlake wins the 6A boys basketball state championship at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, Feb. 27, 2026.
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- Westlake’s Graydin Anderson (5) and Slone Sua react after winning the 6A boys basketball state championship at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, Feb. 27, 2026.
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- Westlake players celebrate winning the 6A boys basketball state championship at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, Feb. 27, 2026.
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- Westlake’s Brody Thompson works for a shot against Bingham in the 6A boys basketball state title game at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, Feb. 27, 2026.
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- Westlake’s Graydin Anderson (5) splits two Bingham defenders in the 6A boys basketball state championship game at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, Feb. 27, 2026.
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- Westlake coach Nate Carling (background) signals a play while Graydin Anderson (5) handles the ball in the 6A boys basketball state championship game at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, Feb. 27, 2026.
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- Westlake coach Nate Carling has a discussion with an official in the 6A boys basketball state championship game at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, Feb. 27, 2026.
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- Westlake’s Malik Sika reacts after a teammate’s basket in the 6A boys basketball state championship game at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, Feb. 27, 2026.
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- Westlake’s Graydin Anderson (5) goes up for a shot against Bingham’s Luke West in the 6A boys basketball state championship game at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, Feb. 27, 2026.
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- The Westlake student section reacts to introductions in the 6A boys basketball state championship game at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, Feb. 27, 2026.
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- Westlake’s Brody Thompson (24) drives to the basket against Bingham in the 6A boys basketball state championship game at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, Feb. 27, 2026.
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- Westlake’s Brody Thompson goes up for a shot against Bingham’s Owen Bagley in the 6A boys basketball state championship game at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, Feb. 27, 2026.
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- Westlake’s Graydin Anderson is introduced before the 6A boys basketball state championship game at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, Feb. 27, 2026.
Not only was it a historic moment that won’t soon be forgotten at Westlake High School, but it was also done the right way.
For the first time in boys athletic history the Thunder earned the designation of state champions by virtue of the boys basketball team providing an inspiring 71-55 win over Bingham Friday at the Huntsman Center.
The Thunder faithful filled up their section, and indeed a good portion of the arena, and then celebrated the moment fully with the players and coaches in a moment that will be remembered for some time, and for good reason.
“It means a lot, man. It means a lot for the community, too,” summed up Westlake guard Graydin Anderson, who was seen celebrating all over the arena, jumping up into the student section and climbing up the stairs to share the moment with his family. “All these guys back here supporting us every day. They come to all of our games, and I’m just trying to do it for my family and for our fans. It means so much for me.”
And all involved did it the right way, too. At least according to Westlake coach Nate Carling.
“It’s high school sports. I’m old school, but this is how it’s supposed to be,” Carling said of his team that didn’t go out pursuing transfers, but instead opted to go with what it had within Westlake boundaries. “(Our) kids (have) grown up together. I remember 10 years ago when these kids were hanging over the bleachers giving me high-fives at these games, and they just stuck with it. They understand the culture and it’s just a great reward to be part of this … It gives me a lot of hope for high school sports.”
As for how Westlake got it done on Friday, it was largely the same template it’s used throughout the season in establishing a 24-3 overall record while earning the No. 1 seed in the state tournament. Uncommon consistency in their play, a focus on fundamentals while hitting timely shots defined the Thunder and certainly did throughout the 6A state tournament which was capped off with a championship win.
Of course it helps having Anderson leading the way.
The 3-year starting point guard has hit many 3-pointers over the course of his prep career, but perhaps none bigger than the two he hit versus the Miners.
The first one came right before the first half buzzer sounded with his team locked in a 28-28 tie. Anderson calmly a surely set the offense and found himself open on the wing to splash through a shot that gave his team a three-point lead at the break, but perhaps more importantly some added momentum.
His second 3-point make proved even bigger.
One night removed from staging a furious comeback win over American Fork in the semifinal round, Bingham appeared poised to do it again. Trailing by double-digits throughout the second half, the Miners hit consecutive 3-pointers with just over three minutes remaining to cut the lead to just 56-51 at the Bingham faithful went crazy. The momentum turned sharply the other way, however, when Anderson set himself up behind the arc and answered with a 3-pointer of his own to push the lead to 59-51.
“It was massive, and that’s what Graydin does,” said Westlake forward Malik Sika. “That’s our leader right there. That fired us up big-time and it’s what he’s done for us all year.”
“This is something I dreamed of my whole life,” Anderson added. “As a kid, I just dreamed of hitting those kind of shots. So I’ll remember that for rest of my life. Those were huge. Big time.”
Big time indeed.
For the game Anderson scored 22 points and was superseded with that total only by teammate Brody Thompson, who finished with 24 while displaying dynamic versatility in providing points from both the perimeter and when slashing toward the basket.
“It feels good,” Thompson said of his championship effort. “I had a slow start to the whole thing, you know, and didn’t score that much. But just building confidence, having my teammates trust me and my coaches trust me–it felt great.”
A big key in taking the win over Bingham was the defensive pressure applied in limiting Miner star guard Luke West to just 15 points. West came into Friday’s game having scored 42 points in a quarterfinal win over Mountain Ridge and then 32 points in the semifinal game versus American Fork.
But Westlake turned up the focus on West, and held him in check throughout.
“Sloan Sua and Walker Jensen were fantastic (defending) him,” Carling said. “But we switch everything, so everybody had a chance. And I think just collectively, we just didn’t give him any breathing room. We were just swarming him all night. He has been on carrying a lot of load, and I think it kind of caught up to him maybe a little bit too.”
A team effort in accomplishing just about every facet necessary in building a team worthy of a state championship is what Westlake did all season. And all of it was punctuated on Friday when it mattered most.
“I think what’s nice is no one has any pressure that they have to come out and carry the team,” Carling said. “… I think they know they just come out and do their job, and if the ball’s in their hands and they get to shoot it and score, they do. But we don’t have to worry about it, because we just know that collectively we’re going to get the job done.”
It’s the kind of consistency forged by how Carling’s team was formed, in which most of the players on the team have been close friends and teammates dating back to when they were in grade-school.
“Actually me and like six of (my teammates) since we were in like second, third grade, we’ve been playing together,” Anderson said. “We just stick together since second grade and, we got it done … It’s all I’ve ever wanted to be honest. As a kid, this is–this is what I dreamed of and we finally got it.”
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