Mountain View has already been proclaimed state champion by everybody in the state. The tournament games are just academic. Right?
Well, not quite.Even though the Bruins pounded the Eagles twice during the regular season, Skyline decided that if it was going to lose, it may as well go down swinging.
That's why nobody on Mountain View's bench was surprised it took four complete quarters to put the Eagles away as the Bruins advanced to the state title game with a 52-40 win.
"During the regular season, teams gave up at halftime against us," said Lisa Osguthorpe, who led Mountain View with 22 points. "This is the tournament. Nobody gives up here."
Skyline probably thought about it, though.
The Bruins pounded the Eagles early and often, taking a 25-8 halftime lead and 38-22 advantage into the fourth. Skyline, however, had one more run left.
Starting the quarter on 14-4 run, the Eagles cut the lead down to six with just over three minutes to play. Then, to make things worse, Mountain View's Erin Hansen fouled out.
"It was a little scary when she left," said Osguthorpe. "We've gone to her all year down the stretch. Now, she wasn't there."
Osguthorpe scored seven of Mountain View's last 10 to stave off Skyline and set a date for the finals.
The Bruins will take on Bingham Saturday at 2:30 at the Salt Lake Community College to determine the champion.
In Wednesday's consolation:
LAYTON 57, VIEWMONT 50: Amy Voss scored 20 and Kim Morrill chipped in 16 as the Lancers advanced in the consolation. Amber Nielsen led Viewmont with 19 points.
WEST JORDAN 53, TAYLORSVILLE 42: Alicia Chadwick scored 10 points as the Jaguars moved on to the fifth-place game against Layton.