Pine View and Bountiful, two teams who've been close to winning state titles before but have finished no higher than second, will vie for the 3A girl's basketball championship tonight at 7 p.m. at Murray High.
The Panthers, who have finished third and second the last two years, upset top-ranked Logan 57-54 in Friday night's first semifinal, while Bountiful broke open a close game midway through the third period and ran away from Uintah 65-46.Pine View 57, Logan 54
Sophomore Cori Benson had never been in a situation like the one she was in during Friday's first semifinal, but she was also too young to feel a lot of prssure. Benson hit five free throws in the final two minutes, including two shots with five seconds left, to preserve the Panthers' upset.
"Yah, I was kinda nervous," the diminuitive point guard said. "But I was also kind of pumped. It was pretty exciting for us."
Logan pulled out to a six-point lead in the second quarter, and was up by seven in the third before Pine View rallied. The Panthers took a 43-42 lead after Tiffany Lott grabbed a rebound and went coast to coast for a layin with 1:25 left in the third quarter. The Panthers never trailed again, and received a big lift when Logan's Shelly Whitteker fouled out with 19 seconds remaining. She led Logan with 16 points, and Jenni McGregor added 14. Lott and Mandi Shaheen each scored 18 for Pine View.
Bountiful 65, Uintah 46
It was the Amanda Walton versus Amanda Wixom showdown when Bountiful's talented center took on Uintah's star player. Walton finished with 19 points and Wixom with 14, but the Braves' supporting crew of Jenny Gardner, Kandi Pitcher and Karie Allen helped overcome the Utes.
Walton dominated play inside in the first half, when Bountiful took a 32-20 lead. Wixom was boxed out, and Monique Reidhead was relied on heavily from outside to keep Uintah close. After the break, Wixom began to break free, and Uintah rallied to within six at 42-36 before Jamie Sant's layin and Allen's banking three-pointer at the buzzer gave Bountiful a 47-36 lead entering the final quarter.
From there, the Braves steadily pulled away, scoring nine of their 18 points from the line. Gardner added 16 and Pitcher 15 for the Braves, who also got great defensive play from Julie Hascall. Reidhead led Uintah with 19.
"Our guards did a great job tonight, and we played Wixom well," stated coach Jill Avery. "She's a great player and she got her points, but we were able to take care of the ball in the end and that made the difference."
Tooele 60, Emery 47
After a horrible first quarter in which they only scored two points, the Lady Buffaloes rallied to drop Emery and will play for fifth place this afternoon. Karie Johnson led Tooele with 20 points, Colleen Jacobs added 16 and Darlene Chambers 13 for the Buffs.
Emery was outscored 23-7 in the final stanza. Shanae Leroy led the Spartans with 12 points, while Angela Gentry and Krissy Childs added eight each.
Dixie 38, Ogden 36
The Flyers handed Ogden its second heartbreaking loss in a row and will now play Tooele. Dixie was outscored from the field 12-9, but the Flyers lived on the free throw line, making 39 trips and sinking 19 charities. Ogden tried but failed to get off a last second shot. The Tigers lost a 28-27 thriller to Uintah on Thursday. Anjenette Cazier led Dixie with 12 points, while Karly Christensen scored nine to lead Ogden.
Carbon 52, Jordan 31
The Dinos will play for consolation honors after dropping Jordan. Misti Potochnik scored 17 and Rachelle Jewkes 16 for Carbon, while Jordan's Debbie Bilbao finished a great season with 12 points.
Cedar City 48, Springville 37
The Lady Redmen will play Carbon for sixth place after dispensing of the Red Devils with a strong second-half effort. Johanna Peterson and Angie Todhunter scored 12 and 11 points respectively for Springville, while Jillyne Robinson led a balanced Cedar attack with 11 points.