3A State Boys: Desert Hills edges Juan Diego 49-42


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WEST VALLEY CITY — Desert Hills claimed a hard-fought, down-to-the-wire 49-42 victory over Juan Diego Thursday, advancing to the semifinal round of the 3A basketball tournament.

For much of the game, the two teams traded baskets, but the Eagles extended the lead to four late in the fourth quarter and seemingly had all the momentum. The Thunder battled back, though, and tied the game with a Marcus McKone 3-pointer with 3:09 left to play.

“It was huge. It gave us hope — a little fire under us,” Desert Hills head coach Wade Turley said of McKone’s 3-pointer. “Kids knew we were right there, we just needed to finish.”

“We got a little down on ourselves in the fourth quarter, but we never lost confidence in our team and ourselves,” Desert Hills forward Quincy Matthews said.

The Eagles would score only one more basket in the quarter with 1:28 left to play. The Thunder, however, made six consecutive free throws down the stretch to close out the game and secure a victory.

“It was good for our team to finish like that. We’ve lost some close ones at the end of our region (play) — not taking care of the basketball, not finishing free throws — so it was really good to finish the way we did,” Turley said. “I think it will give us some confidence moving forward.”

Matthews led the Thunder in scoring with 22 points. He added 11 rebounds and two assists in the win.

Desert Hills will play the winner of the Bear River-Dixie game on Friday at 7:30 p.m. at the Maverik Center in West Valley City.

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