Parowan • Beaver’s Davis Heslington knew he and his teammates couldn’t be timid about shooting the basketball.
With a Region 18 championship on the line, the senior didn’t waste his opportunities as the Beavers left town with a trophy for the trophy case.
Heslington scored 11 of his game-high 23 points in the fourth quarter, and Beaver came through with a 9-0 run over the final two minutes that carried it to a 48-36 victory over Parowan to clinch the No. 1 seed for the Class 2A state playoffs with a 9-3 record.
“We knew Parowan plays great defense,” Heslington said. “We knew we had to take care of the ball, get open shots and don’t be shy. If you get the open shot, have the confidence to knock it down.”
After both teams struggled to find the shooting touch in the third quarter – the Beavers outscored the Rams 4-2 in the period and led 28-24 – Heslington scored seven straight points, including a key 3-pointer – in a 9-2 run that pushed the Beavers’ lead to 37-27, their largest of the night.
Parowan answered when junior Porter Wood delivered nine consecutive points – two 3-pointers and a conventional three-point play – that helped the Rams fight back within three at 39-36 with 1 minute, 56 seconds left.
When Beaver freshman Ky Brown drained a 3-pointer after a timeout, it extended the Beavers’ lead back to six, and the Rams didn’t score again.
“He’s really a good freshman,” Beaver coach Joe Hillock said about Brown. “He’s one of the few guys who’s in the gym at 5:30 in the morning getting 200 shots up. He stays after practice, plays all summer and loves the game so much. It’s the same thing with our seniors.”
Wood scored 17 points to lead Parowan, which fell into a tie with Enterprise for second place at 8-4 in Region 18. The teams split the season series and will hold a coin flip Monday to determine who earns the No. 2 seed for the 2A playoffs.