Bear River took a two-point advantage into halftime in the 4A championship, but it was a strong finish by Skyview (16-9) that gave the Bobcats a 64-59 victory on Saturday in Cedar City and their first crown since 2013.
Samuel Phillips led the way with 23 points while fellow juniors Mason Falslev and Cole DeBoard scored 17 and 13 respectively.
Bear River (21-7), which fell to Sky View for the third time this season, got 17 from James Fonnesbeck while Kelton Summers added 13.
Class 4A girls
In Cedar City, it was a first in school history as Cedar High captured the 4A girls’ crown with a 53-40 victory over Ridgeline. The victory over the Riverhawks capped a perfect 25-0 campaign for the Redmen.
Mayci Torgerson scored 18 points for Cedar and sank 10 of her 11 free throw attempts while teammate Japrix Weaver added 11. Ridgeline (22-4) had 18 points from Halle Livingston while Haley Anderson hit four 3-pointers as part of her point-total of 14.
Class 1A boys
In Richfield, it had been 20 years since Tabiona had won a state championship, but Tigers ended the dry spell by gaining coach Lee Gines his third state championship. Gines was also at the helm when Tabiona won in 1997 and 1999 — the only time that the school has earned hoops championships.
This time around, it came as Tabiona entered the state tourney field as only a third seed out of its region. But the Tigers, who finished behind Manila and Rich in the league standings, defeated Panguitch 47-39 to claim bragging rights over the whole classification.
Class 1A girls
In Richfield, Panguitch (22-2) continued its recent dominance of the small-school ranks with a 38-35 victory over Piute in the state championship. It was the second title in a row for the Bobcats and the fifth in the last six years.
For Panguitch coach Curtis Barney, it was a landmark victory as it marked the 12th time that he captured a crown — a state record — and all with Panguitch.
Junior Mataya Barney scored 12 points and grabbed seven rebounds for the Bobcats while senior Piute center Jordyn Kennedy paced her team with a dozen points and eight boards.