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Barricaded in the tight passageway beneath the Huntsman Center on Thursday, Layton coach Kelby Miller opened the locker room door and spotted the person he was searching for.

Julian Blackmon wandered out, his navy blue hoodie shading his eyes, with only the tip of his hair poking out. The senior gave a look of bewilderment when Miller said it was his turn to talk with the media.

Minutes before, Blackmon connected on what proved to be the game-winning layup with 5 seconds left and defended Sky View's final attempt to perfection in the Lancers' 70-69 victory in the Class 5A boys' quarterfinals on Thursday.

But for Blackmon, it was just another day at the office.

"That was exactly how coach drew it up," Blackmon said matter-of-factly. "I'm just glad it went in."

The game was wild and chaotic from the onset. The score was tied on 11 occasions and changed 24 times, but Layton managed to secure the lead after all four quarters.

"Obviously when you bring back three starters and some other guys who have experience — they don't get rattled," Miller said. "It showed tonight that these guys can pull those games out."

Blackmon poured in a game-high 27 points, Dallin Watts — who "played an amazing game," Miller said — added 20, and Chandler Obray chipped in 14 points for the Lancers. Sky View was also led by its own trio, as Bryce Mortenson (19 points), Jake Hendricks (15) and Breygan Holbrook (12) all reached the double-figure scoring plateau.

"This environment is the best. It's what we live for," Watts said. "It's awesome to be out there with all the guys and having those experiences on this floor — it's the best I could ever ask for."

The Lancers (16-8) started the season 2-7, including suffering five consecutive setbacks, as Blackmon recovered on the sideline from a fractured wrist that carried over from football season. Paired with the less than stellar reputation of Region 2, the defending champions were incredibly second-hand news for the majority of the year.

Yet steadily and surely, Layton returned to the semifinals, where it will face top-ranked Bingham (22-2) at 7:30 p.m. on Friday in a rematch of last year's quarterfinals, which the Lancers won, 62-53.

"They don't give trophies for preseason records," Miller said. "I didn't mind that we were flying under the radar, but people know that we can play. It's not a secret. The cream rises to the top, and we're in the mix when we need to be."

The Lancers took an early lead behind the sharpshooting of Watts, who chipped in nine points in the first eight minutes.

Layton maintained that cushion, with a 38-34 lead at halftime, but the Bobcats opened the third quarter on a 7-0 run before Blackmon twined a 3-pointer from the far wing to knot the score at 41 apiece.

Luke White's 3-pointer for Sky View evened things at 46, with 3:43 left in the quarter, as the teeter-totter continued to rotate, before Boston Armitstead connected on a baseline jumper in the dying seconds of the third quarter to give Layton a 52-51 lead, with eight minutes to play, which were nothing short of circuitous.

After Mortenson missed his second attempt from the line, officials awarded a phantom jump ball to the Bobcats, which allowed Holbrook to slice the lane and convert a three-point play for a 67-66 lead with 26.3 seconds left.

Layton promptly responded on the opposite end before Hendricks drenched a floater off the spin to recapture the lead once again.

Then, with 9 seconds left, Blackmon crossed Hendricks over at the top of the key, split the converging defender on the block, and scooped up a left-handed layup that bounced precariously on the rim before falling innocently through the net.

Blackmon immediately switched his focus to defense.

"I was like, 'Coach, let me guard him,'" Blackmon recounted.

Planted on Hendricks for the final possession, Blackmon bodied up the Bobcats' scorer, whose 14-foot jumper fell short, allowing the Lancers to punch their time card and survive another day of work.

Storylines

• Julian Blackmon, who finishes with a game-high 27 points, hits a game-winning layup with five seconds left to send Layton to the semifinals for the second straight year.

• Dallin Watts adds 20 points for the defending champion Lancers.

• The score is tied on 11 occasions and changes 24 times.