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Ogden • It had to happen sometime. And the agent of change, when Lone Peak's dominance over Class 5A came to an end, more than likely was going to be a confident underdog who connected on some big-time shots.

Well, welcome to the big stage, Viewmont Vikings — a team that had the moxie and skills to usher the four-time defending champion Knights out of the state tournament.

In a Class 5A quarterfinal Wednesday, it was senior guard Josh Richins who camped out at the right baseline corner and drained a 3-pointer as time expired for a 64-61 Viewmont win.

The win put the Vikings into the semifinals and ended a four-year state championship run for Lone Peak.

"As soon as I released it, I was like, 'That's in,' " Richins said. "I wasn't worried at all."

Lone Peak (18-7) had tied the game at the Dee Events Center with 15 seconds remaining. Junior Frank Jackson's pull-up jumper was off, but Knights teammate Nick Curtis grabbed the rebound and banked in the tying shot in the lane.

But Vikings senior Jake Walker, who hit four critical free throws in the final 1:10, took the ball up the court in the waning seconds for Viewmont and found Richins waiting for his chance.

"I told these guys, 'Let's hang in there and take a hook shot at the end,' " Vikings coach Jeff Emery said. "It wasn't quite a hook shot, but we'll take it."

"Viewmont played a heck of a game, shot the lights out," said Lone Peak coach Quincy Lewis, whose team beat the Vikes by 13 early in the season. "You know what, it was just a totally different game on both sides of the ball. They played different, and we played different.

"I think the bottom line is that they just shot the heck out of it," Lewis added.

Viewmont (15-9) was led by Walker's 23 points, while Austin Johnson added 19 points and 11 rebounds.

It was Johnson's own baseline treys that helped the Vikings pull out from an eight-point deficit in the third quarter. Behind 36-30, Johnson canned a 3-pointer with 4:52 remaining.

After Jackson, who finished with 13, answered with a jumper, Johnson drained another 3 from the same right-corner spot.

With 3:19 left in the third, it was another long-range shot from Walker that tied the game at 39. The score would deadlock two more times over the remainder of the contest.

"To be honest, we were all pretty confident," Johnson said. "We know we can beat anyone in the state, and we just knocked down some big shots to close the deal."

Johnson acknowledged, though, that there was a little extra pressure when it came to trying to end a four-year 5A dynasty.

"Any team is going to kind of feel that against Lone Peak," Johnson said. "They're a great team, but we knew we could beat them all season."

Viewmont will play Layton in a state semifinal Friday.

Lone Peak was paced by sophomore Christian PoPoola's 19 points, while Curtis added 13.

Richins' game-winner was his second bucket of the day. The senior has had to cope with the effects of kidney disease on his father, Darin Richins, during his final campaign for the Vikings.

On the court, Richins admitted he dreamed of a moment like the one that came to him on Wednesday.

"It always goes through my head, making a game-winning shot," Richins said. "It's been one of my dreams. It's reality now — I'm glad." —

Viewmont 64, Lone Peak 61

R Lone Peak's four-year string of Class 5A state championships comes to an end when Viewmont guard Josh Richins cans a 3-pointer as time expires.

MORE COVERAGE • Over a five-year span, Lone Peak has gone a combined 113-14. But this is the only year of those five the Knights aren't the state champions. > C8