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WEST VALLEY CITY — The Pine View Panthers staved off a fourth-quarter surge from the Uintah Utes to advance to a spot in the 3A boys semifinals Thursday afternoon.
With a comfortable 42-28 lead going into the fourth quarter, Pine View looked to be running away with an easy victory. But a 10-1 run and three Panthers players fouling out gave the Utes some life and a chance for the upset.
Behind an suffocating full-court press by the Utes, the Panthers struggled to advance the ball and had the ball stolen on five consecutive possessions, allowing for a Uintah comeback and close final minutes of the game.
“They went to that press because they had to,” Pine View head coach Darrell Larsen said. “When you press and they just let you go it’s hard.”
That's the good thing about having seven seniors on your team because we really turned to them. They held it together down the stretch and pulled it together. We're very fortunate that we had a big lead.
–Darrell Larsen
The Utes were able to cut the lead to 3 points with 1:08 left to play, but failed to convert shots in the closing minutes. The Utes were then forced to rely on the Panthers’ ability to make free throws. The Panthers made enough free throws at the end to claim a 55-48 victory and to live another day in the tournament.
“It was up and down, but our kids have always fought hard no matter the situation. They’ve won games pretty easy and they’ve won nail-biters,” Larsen said. “That’s the good thing about having seven seniors on your team because we really turned to them. They held it together down the stretch and pulled it together. We’re very fortunate that we had a big lead."
Panthers senior guards Garrett Bowker and Chaz Petersen lead the team in scoring with 20 points and 17 points, respectively, and were the biggest contributors on offense in the Panthers’ win.
“We went deep into our bench. We played a sophomore out there for a while,” Larsen said. “We went deep into the bench and they came through and carried us.”
Pine View will play Richfield on Friday at 5:50 p.m. at the Maverik Center in West Valley City.
