In a boys basketball game that featured 15 made 3-pointers accounting for almost half of the 109 total points scored, the one that mattered most Wednesday night in Pleasant Grove was one that didn't go in.
The visitors from Maple Mountain were up three but missed a pair of foul shots with five seconds left in the game, giving Pleasant Grove got one more chance to force overtime.
Viking senior guard Spencer Pincock raced up the floor and got a pretty good shot from beyond the arc, but it sailed wide right and the Golden Eagles hung on to get the 56-53 win.
"We finally got that win," said Maple Mountain head coach Johnny Averett. "There have been several during this preseason that I thought we deserved but we didn't close the deal. This time we made plays but give Pleasant Grove credit. The way they were shooting tonight made them hard to put away."
Since the Golden Eagles have lost some heartbreakers earlier in the year, Averett said at the end of this game he was counting on finally getting a break to go his team's way.
"When they were taking the ball up the floor, I was thinking that this can't be happening again," he said. "We lost a couple of big leads in games in St. George, including one to Pine View on a last-second shot. Luck was finally in our favor this time."
For Pleasant Grove head coach Randy McAllister, it was a tough way to lose. Although he appreciated the fight his team showed, he said the Vikings are sick of being in that position in the first place.
"We've had three or four of those, so it's time for us to stop getting in that position where we have to fight back," he said. "We need to figure out how to get a lead rather than play from behind."
Both teams put their shooting ability on display during the game as they rained down bombs from beyond the arc.
The first half shooting edged belonged to Maple Mountain, who knocked down six of their eight treys before halftime. That allowed the Golden Eagles to build a 10-point lead at one point.
"Those are shots we've been missing," Averett said. "When we miss those, teams pack it in. When we make them, that gets the defense to come out and that's to our advantage because we are small and quick."
Pleasant Grove responded with five 3-pointers in the second half, four of them coming from sophomore guard Forrest Pincock (who finished with five total and 15 points for the game).
That allowed the Vikings to rally but Maple Mountain had the edge for much of the final 16 minutes of play. Late foul shooting problems for the Golden Eagles (who were 10-of-18 from the charity stripe for the game) gave the home team the late chance to tie.
"We've got to do a better job at the free throw line, but I think we will," Averett said.
Both teams have now completed non-region play and will start league action.
"We're in a tough region, so we have our work cut out for us," McAllister said. "If teams are going to beat us, we're going to make them work to do it."
Daily Herald sports editor Jared Lloyd can be reached at 801-344-2555 or at jlloyd@heraldextra.com. He can also be followed on Twitter at @JaredrLloyd.
Read more: http://www.heraldextra.com/sports/high-school/basketball/maple-mountain-boys-basketball-survives-late-pleasant-grove-surge/article_87e65d34-375e-11e1-84ba-001871e3ce6c.html#ixzz1kE0PMA1S
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