PLEASANT GROVE — Their fans packed into their gymnasium like sardines, the players had a year of seasoning since last season's memorable game in Pleasant Grove, and the Vikings were poised to finally get past nemesis Lone Peak in boys basketball on Friday night.
The Vikings came close, but they also learned a hard truth: When the Knights are playing at the top of their game, there's little their opponents can do about it.
Tyler Haws scored 29 points to lead the second-ranked Knights to an 83-74 win over third-ranked Pleasant Grove on Friday night. Haws started fast, making his first six shots to prevent the Vikings from pulling away early when they were shooting lights out. Haws later sealed the win for Lone Peak when he scored on a breakaway slam dunk to put the Knights ahead 77-69 with 1:49 remaining in the game.
"He's a great player," said Pleasant Grove guard LeSean Wilcox. "I've played with him for years and years. He improves every year. It's really tough."
It's hard enough trying to stop Haws. The Knights' balance almost makes them unbeatable in big games.
Bracken Funk scored 21 points and had 16 rebounds, the second-best single-game mark in Lone Peak history. Josh Sharp contributed 21 points, and guard Kimball Payne efficiently directed the Knights' high-powered attack. He dished 10 assists while committing just two turnovers.
The Knights improved to 3-0 in Region 4 and picked up their 12th win in their last 13 games. The reigning 5A champions looked beatable early in the season. Not so much against Pleasant Grove.
"We're certainly playing better than we were early," said Lone Peak coach Quincy Lewis. "But this team still has a little ways to go before it's on the level where it can win the big one."
That might make other 5A teams feel hopeless. Actually, that's how the Vikings may have been feeling on Friday night when they played a near-perfect first quarter — and only led by two points at the end of it.
Lone Peak started the game in a zone defense, and the Vikings torched it. Pleasant Grove shot 80 percent from the field in the first quarter, but needed a late 3-pointer from Jared Allridge just to have a 20-18 advantage going into the second quarter.
The Knights switched to man-to-man defense in the second quarter and they were able to take the Vikings' offense out of rhythm. They took Pleasant Grove's best shot early in the game, regrouped, and took control before halftime.
The Vikings fell behind by as many as 10 points in the third quarter before making a run midway through the fourth. A couple of free throws by C.J. Wilcox, who scored a game-high 30 points, cut Lone Peak's lead to 69-68 with 4:08 remaining. The Knights, however, went on an 8-1 run to put it away.
Pleasant Grove coach Randy McAllister said it was the little things that prevented his team from getting past Lone Peak on Friday night such as getting an important box-out, tracking down loose balls, and missing free throws at key times in the contest.
"We did enough to make it a very competitive game," he said, "but not quite enough to get over that hump."
Photos by Danny Chan La, Deseret Morning News
