(Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune) Lone Peak's Taylor Madson hits a 3-pointer. Lone Peak High School boys' basketball team defeated Pleasant Grove High School 76-75 Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2018.
Highland • Big third quarters have been a Lone Peak trademark, a cornerstone in many victories this season.
The Knights delivered a big third quarter and needed a little more late Tuesday night to hold off Pleasant Grove for a thrilling 76-75 Region 4 victory that secured a region title.
“We feel like in the third, that’s our time to put the game away,” Lone Peak’s Jackson Brinkerhoff said. “It seems like [we] always have a good quarter. I don’t want to jinx it, but it seems when we come out of halftime, we step on their throat and go.”
Brinkerhoff scored 14 of his 18 points in the second half, including 10 in the fourth quarter, to lead the Knights (18-3, 7-0) to their 11th consecutive victory and seventh consecutive outright region title.
Lone Peak scored 29 points in the third quarter after managing just 30 points in the first half. Steven Ashworth had 15 of his 18 points in the second half, while Chantry Ross added 16 points for Lone Peak, which won the first meeting 65-61.
Casey Brown had a career-high 27 points and 7-footer Matt Van Komen added 19 for Pleasant Grove (16-5, 3-3), which can secure second place in the region with a victory Friday against Bingham.
“We went on a nice run in the third quarter, but so did they,” Lone Peak coach Dave Evans said. “They shot 73 percent in the second half. There’s no way we should have won the game. We must have had more possessions.
“It’s a good win for us. They’re a good team.”
Pleasant Grove used an 8-0 run to climb back into the game in the second quarter and close halftime tied at 30-30. Eight misses at the free-throw line, including four in the fourth quarter, left the Vikings to play from behind over the final 13 minutes.
Brinkerhoff was able to pull Van Komen out of the paint early, but when the Vikings center stayed down low, the Lone Peak senior took advantage.
“If Van Komen is sagging in the key, that’s why we bring him [Brinkerhoff] out because he can shoot the 3,” Evans said. “He was aggressive and he shot the ball really well.”
LONE PEAK 76, PLEASANT GROVE 75 <br>• Jackson Brinkerhoff makes four of Lone Peak’s 12 3-pointers, including three in the second half. <br>• Casey Brown scores a career-high 27 points for Pleasant Grove. <br>• Pleasant Grove commits five of its 12 turnovers in the first quarter.