It surprised no one to see the No. 1 and 2 seeds battling for the state 1A championship Saturday night.
In the end, Panguitch was able to pull out its third consecutive title against top-ranked Rich, 50-40.
“We’ve been building the toughest schedule we can to prepare us for these state tournaments,” said coach Clint Barney.
All three of Panguitch’s losses this season were to teams in higher classifications.
“There are five seniors and the best thing is they all contributed,” Barney said. “They all did something really good today, which they will remember for a lifetime.”
Panguitch exerted dominance early, opening the game with a 7-0 run as Daxton Miller scored under the hoop twice and Maddix Johnson hit his first of six 3-pointers.
The Rebels fought back though, with points from Ryker Hoffman, Carter Hoffman and Carter Scott , and Dylan Fonnesbeck knotted the game at 10-all by draining a 3-pointer with 29 seconds left in the first period.
For Panguitch though, Miller kept up the offensive pressure on the inside while Johnson launched an onslaught from the perimeter with four more 3-point buckets before the half as Panguitch opened up a 27-18 advantage at intermission.
“I was just feeling it going into the game and I knew that I would just be on tonight,” Johnson said. “We’ve been playing together ever since we were 7 years old and the chemistry we have has built up all these years.”
Rich was able to pull within one point in the third quarter, as Drake Weston and Ridge Lundgren both took the ball to the hoop. Rich was also able to hold Panguitch to just seven points in the third stanza, which ended with Panguitch holding a 34-33 edge.
That’s when it was Panguitch’s Burkley Dalton’s turn to shine on offense. He hit two 3-pointers and another shot from inside to help Panguitch widen the gap.
“My thoughts were to leave it all out there,” Dalton said. “It’s my last game, so just don’t leave anything unsaid or undone.”
Bridger Chappell also nailed three shots from the field in the last eight minutes to help boost Panguitch in the final quarter.
“One thing about this group is they believe in each other and they don’t care who the glory goes to,” Barney said. “They’re confident in each other and they’re just, they just read each other’s minds. It’s kind of crazy.”
Miller said he’ll miss the camaraderie of being on a team with people he’s known since kindergarten.
“It’s a great way to end it,” Miller said. “It’s gonna be sad. I’ve spent a lifetime playing with the boys, so it was a fun way, and a good way, to go out.”