OGDEN — The formula for beating Canyon View, aside for being a ranked team in the USA Today, is still a mystery.
Wasatch came close to discovering the elusive mix of offense and defense Friday at the Dee Events Center, but in the end the Wasps came up short, 49-40, in their bid to upset the No. 1 team in 3A.
With the win, Canyon View advances to today's championship game at 5 p.m. against Emery. Wasatch will face Morgan at 1:30 p.m. in the third-place game.
Canyon View improved to 23-1 with the win, and its lone blemish remains Bishop Gorman, Nev., a team ranked in the USA Today Top 25.
Wasatch came close to delivering the Falcons their second loss of the season. The Wasps only trailed by four at the break, and after falling behind by nine in the second half they managed to close to within 38-37 with four minutes remaining in the game.
Upset-minded Wasatch even had a chance to take the lead at 39-38 with 3:09 remaining, but it missed two free throws, and Canyon View promptly closed the game on a 9-3 run. The ironic thing was, the girl at the line was one of Wasatch's best shooters.
"If she makes both of those shots, and we get a stop, who knows," said Wasatch coach Roger Pyper.
In a quarterfinal win over Pine View on Thursday, Wasatch made an impressive 24-of-30 free throws.
Patience nearly turned out to be the winning formula for Wasatch.
"I think sometimes because they are such a good defensive team, teams get impatient trying to score too fast, and then (Canyon View) blocks out, gets the rebound and they're off running," said Pyper, who wanted his team to pass the ball about five or six times each possession before shooting.
It paid off for the Wasps in the first quarter as they jumped out to a 12-9 lead. They even led 19-17 late in the half, but Canyon View closed the half on a 6-0 run.
Despite the deficit, Wasatch became just the fourth team all year to score at least 19 points on Canyon View in the first half. Prior to Friday, the Falcons were only surrendering 12.4 points per game in the first half.
Canyon View tightened its defensive clamps after a halftime pep talk, and extended its lead to 30-21 late in the third quarter. That's when Wasatch, however, returned to its patient ways.
It scored on eight straight possessions to close within 38-37. A ninth score would've given them a lead and a real shot at an upset. After Wasatch's missed free throws, Canyon View's Ashley Gentry buried a baseline 3-pointer that gave the Falcons a 41-37 lead.
Sophomore guard Cassie Platt helped ice the game with four free throws down the stretch as she finished with a game-high 21 points, including five assists. Shanna Woodruff's 11 points led a balanced Wasatch scoring attack.
In other 3A playoff games Friday:
EMERY 67, MORGAN 59: Jodie Lundell buried five 3-pointers and finished with 21 points, while teammate Camille Fehlberg made 15-of-16 free throws to finish with 22 points as the Spartans knocked off Morgan.
Emery scored 20 points off turnovers and never looked back after jumping out to a 6-0 lead just 30 seconds into the game. BreAnna Haslam and Chelsey Garfield each finished with 14 points for Morgan.
CARBON 44, SNOW CANYON 30: Tabby Cummins recorded a game-high 10 points, while teammates Danielle Martino and Meesha Rasmussen combined for 17 more points to lead the Dinos into the 3A consolation championship.
LOGAN 48, PINE VIEW 44: Despite trailing by 10 at the break thanks to 25 percent shooting, the Grizzlies advanced to the consolation championship with a much better performance in the second half as they shot 43 percent. Sarah Miller led Logan with 13 points, while Pine View's Tina Twiggs led all scorers with 20 points.
E-mail: jedward@desnews.com