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Highland • The Class 5A boys' basketball state tournament doesn't start for another week and a half, but a full house saw a preview Friday night when Lone Peak and Pleasant Grove battled it out for the Region 4 title.
The contest wasn't settled until the last seconds.
The Knights managed to prevail 49-46 thanks to a crazy final sequence to secure the league crown and region's top seed in the playoffs.
A tough leaner by Viking senior guard Ethan Coombs drew his team within a point with 38 seconds to play after Lone Peak led by nine points just two minutes earlier.
The drama continued to build when the Knights, normally solid at the free-throw line, missed the front end of a 1-and-1 then both tries after an intentional foul on the rebound.
However, Lone Peak was able to snag the ball after that miss as well, sending junior guard Steven Ashworth to the line for a second time with 7.4 seconds remaining. He converted both this time, giving the home squad a three-point cushion.
But Pleasant Grove still managed to get off a potential game-tying 3, but the shot bounced off the rim and ended up in the hands of Lone Peak senior Nathan Harkness to seal the victory.
"It was exciting," Ashworth said. "There were a lot of ups and downs in that game, but I'm grateful we got the ball back after I missed the 1-and-1 and I was later able to put us ahead by three, which is what we wanted."
It also fell to Ashworth to defend Pleasant Grove's impressive young guard, sophomore Kawika Akina, who took the final shot for the Vikings. His defense forced Akina to make an off-balance attempt.
Knights junior Chantry Ross also worked hard on the defensive side and scored a game-high 15 points despite often facing heavy defensive pressure.
"They kept pushing us the whole game," Ross said. "They are really physical, but that's how we practice, so we're used to it.
"We knew this would be a tough game. Pleasant Grove has played really well this season. We focused on staying in front of their guards and keeping the ball from going inside."
The strategy succeeded enough to hold 7-foot sophomore center Matthew Van Komen to single-digit scoring and limit looks for other inside players.
Lone Peak coach David Evans said he never doubted the outcome until his team started missing free throws.
"I'm sure it was a little bit of nerves," he said. "We missed a lot of open looks, but there's going to be a game just like that one in the state tournament, and we're going to have to find a way to grind it out like we did this one." —
Lone Peak 49, Pleasant Grove 46
• Lone Peak secures the Region 4 title by improving to 11-0 in region play.
• Knights junior guard Steven Ashworth scores 10 points with 10 rebounds, five steals and four assists while executing a tough defensive assignment.
• Senior guard Keanu Akina leads Pleasant Grove with 13 points, including three 3-pointers for the Vikings (19-3, 9-2).