The Rich boys basketball team maintained its signature high-speed offense Friday night as three Rebels scored in double digits, securing a 70-49 win over Piute in the 1A semifinals.
Ridge Lundgren led the charge for Rich with 19 points, five rebounds and three assists.
“We knew they would be putting up their best shots and playing all 32 minutes, and they did,” said coach Lex Cornia of Piute.
The loss of Jaxon Westwood right before the tournament was costly to Piute as he was one of the team’s leading scorers.
“All of Piute can play, but to lose a leader like that is unfortunate for them and for him,” Cornia said. “They rallied behind him and really played hard.”
Through the first half, Piute was able to counter Rich’s high-octane style of play.
“We’ve been a good defensive team,” Cornia said. “For them to go out and put up 33 points against us in the first half is a testament to them.”
The half ended with Piute trailing by seven and some good momentum starting to build thanks to an outside attack that included downtowners by Kole Westwood and Will Myers.
“We recommitted at half and I just really like the way our guys dug in,” Cornia said. “That commitment to defense is what has given us an opportunity to play in the last game of the season.”
In addition to Lundgren, Cornia also praised Carson Muirbrook.
“Carson Muirbrook also just went to work for us tonight,” Cornia said. “We knew the (Tavin) Jessen kid was a load. Carson got a lot of rebounds and was able to attack the rim and finish.”
Muirbrook ended the game with 11 points and six boards.
Jaden Desch dropped in three 3-pointers on his way to 17 points for Rich.
“Jaden is fun to watch and he’s fun to coach,” Cornia said. “He makes a lot happen for us. When your best player is also your best passer, that’s a special thing.”
Friday’s win pits Rich against southern rival Panguitch for the championship. Panguitch is the defending champion looking for its 10th title, while Rich is battling for its first championship since 2015.
“We’re going to be outsized, so it’s going to be a big commitment to talking on defense,” Cornia said. “We’ll need to relax and let the offense take care of itself, but we’re going to have to be gritty on defense.”
Grit is something Panguitch had a rich supply of Friday as the Bobcats beat Tabiona in the last game of the night, 55-48.
“We limped to the finish line, but we got there,” said coach Clint Barney.
Panguitch allowed just one 3-pointer from Tabiona in the first stanza, which ended with a 15-3 edge for the Bobcats.
“For whatever reason they didn’t come out as aggressive as they did in the last three quarters,” Barney said. “In that first quarter we were able to get some good shots.”
Panguitch was able to keep the pressure on through the first half. Panguitch controlled a 28-15 game, but they knew Tabiona would make it tough in the back half.
“You expect that as a coach,” Barney said. “They have a legend in Lee Gines as a coach, they have a lot of heart and community pride. They are not going to go down without a fight, and you have to be able to take a few punches.”
As the game progressed, so did the physicality. It worked for Tabiona as they were able to put more pressure on Panguitch.
“We had more turnovers than a bakery,” Barney said of the final quarter.
A pair of 3-pointers by Bryson Fabrizio pulled Tabiona, which had been trailing by double digits since the first quarter, to within five points with 2:22 left to play.
Panguitch’s Remme Chappell was able to drop two in from the foul-line, followed by an inside jumper by Cameron Parkin to keep the gap from closing completely.
Cache Eyre helped lead the Bobcats early, making some key early shots. He ended the game with 16 points and nine rebounds. Justin Osburn also contributed to the early tally, and went on to finish the game with 10 points and five rebounds.
“Parkin and Chestyn Tebbs both did a good job for us coming off the bench,” Barney said.
The season ends Saturday as Panguitch and Rich meet for the second time this season. Their prior meeting ended with Panguitch winning 71-57 back in December, but there are no guarantees in the title game.
“Rich is playing so well right now and getting in to make easy baskets,” Barney said. “If we don’t stop the easy baskets and clean up our turnovers, we won’t be in the game long.”