No. 1 Morgan and No. 3 American Heritage advances to the title game. This story will be updated.
American Heritage 44, Richfield 40
Last season, the American Heritage Patriots made it to the 3A semifinals before losing.
On Friday they got over the hump by beating Richfield thanks to a good finish.
In what was a defensive battle most of the way, Richfield led 7-6 at the end of the first quarter as neither team could get going offensively.
Both teams started picking things up in the second quarter, and the Wildcats led by three at halftime. In the frame, Richfield shot 46% from the field as it was more patient and then knocked down shots.
“I told the boys to remember who they are. Just like the other day, all glory to God and Jesus Christ. Sometimes when it comes to basketball its not always about he Xs and Os, it’s about fight,” said American Heritage coach Paora Winitana
“Richfield fought like lions, not Wildcats, lions. They played so inspired in that first half.”
The third quarter was just about the same as the first two, with hard-fought possessions as the teams went toe to toe.
Josue Kajinga for American Heritage was finally able to get going some, scoring five of his six points in the quarter, accounting for nearly half of the Patriots offense in the quarter and helping them cut the lead back to one for the Wildcats going into the fourth at 33-32.
In the fourth quarter, American Heritage relied on tenacious defense, holding Richfield to just 8% shooting (1 of 12) while shooting 5 of 11 itself to not only close the one point deficit, but end the game on an 11-3 run to clinch the win 44-40 and advance to its first ever basketball championship game.
“This game was like our whole season compressed down,” Winitana said. “In the first half we did not know who we were, but as the game went on we slowly discovered what we wanted to do and how we wanted to play.”
“Being in the semifinal was a little overwhelming at first with the crowd and the noise, but we just needed to stay composed and who we were.”
No. 3 American Heritage will play No. 1 Morgan at SUU on Saturday at 7 p.m. for the state championship.
Morgan 67, Grantsville 41
In a repeat of the girls semifinals earlier in the day, Morgan and Grantsville squared off in the boys semifinals Friday.
Morgan is on a quest to repeat as state champion, and it now finds itself back in the final after cruising past Grantsville.
Morgan tried its best to put this game away quickly, going on a 8-0 run to begin the game thanks to scores from three different players.
But Grantsville fought back, and the game was tied at 12 heading into the second quarter after the Cowboys went on an 8-0 run of their own.
Grantsville took the lead on the first bucket of the second quarter from Jordan Fawson, but the Trojans responded with a 12-0 run punctuated by a dunk from reigning 3A player of the year Bracken Saunders.
“We try to pride ourselves on the defensive side of the floor. We always play hard. I was proud about that. That’s what we do. Play tough D and limit our opponents’ shots and rebound the shots,” said Morgan coach Scott Hunt.
Morgan was able to limit Grantsville to just 25% from the field on 3 of 12 shooting in the second quarter to open up a 10-point lead at halftime.
The Trojans really broke things open in the third quarter, winning it 21-9 to take a 22-point lead.
“We had to get Bracken involved a little bit, get him moving and going a little bit,” Hunt said. “We ran quite a few sets to try to get the ball to certain people’s hands, which we were able to do better in that third quarter.
“Shooting 53% coming out of halftime, I thought we settled in the first half for a lot of bad shots. We don’t mind a perimeter shot but we needed to take smarter shots.”
Morgan was a very well-oiled machine in the third quarter, with scoring coming from just about everyone, especially from Brody Peterson and Jake Hansen, who combined for 14 points. The duo outscored Grantsville, while for the second straight quarter the Cowboys were held under 27% shooting.
Despite holding the big lead, the Morgan offense stayed aggressive in the fourth quarter and ultimately won by 26 to advance to its second straight state championship game.
“It was our goal to start the season to get to the final game, and now we’re there and excited for that,” Hunt said. “That was our expectation. I felt like anything less would not be a successful year after we brought a lot of kids back from last year.
“We have a big challenge tomorrow against whoever wins this next game.”
The Trojans move on to face American Heritage for the 3A championship.