Pine View edges Cedar in overtime, thanks to Allen’s 19 free throws

Pine View guard Saraven Allen drives past Cedar High's Sage Oldroyd, St. George, Utah, Jan. 16, 2018, | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

ST. GEORGE — Despite being down by five points with less than 15 seconds left to play in regulation, the Pine View Lady Panthers came back to defeat Cedar High in overtime Tuesday night, 53-49.

Late in the fourth quarter, Cedar sophomore Japrix Weaver swished two free throws with 16.8 seconds left to give the Lady Reds a 44-39 lead. But Pine View sophomore Sophia Jensen drove into the lane on the Panther’s ensuing possession, making the shot and drawing a foul from Cedar senior Dream Weaver. Jensen converted the free throw to complete the three-point play with 10.6 seconds left and bring Pine View within two points, 44-42.

Cedar and Pine View players scramble for a loose ball during Pine View’s eventual 53-49 overtime win, St. George, Utah, Jan. 16, 2018, | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

The Panthers then immediately fouled Cedar’s Emeline Brower on the ensuing inbounds play. Brower missed both of her free throws with 8.7 seconds remaining, giving Pine View a chance at a shot to tie the game. Jensen’s initial baseline effort missed, but 6-foot-1 freshman Averi Papa grabbed the rebound and stuck it back in as the buzzer sounded, tying the game at 44 and sending it into a four-minute overtime. The clutch shot was Papa’s only two points of the game.

Pine View went on to outscore Cedar 9-5 in the extra session to come away with the hard-earned win. Pine View senior guard Saraven Allen scored 19 points without making a single field goal, converting 19 of 22 free throws during the contest, including a remarkable 12 for 12 during the fourth period and overtime.

“Cedar is a great team,” said Pine View head coach Chris Brinagh. “They’re always prepared and ready, and they never let up.”

Brinagh said even when his team got behind late in the fourth quarter, he encouraged them to keep fighting.

“I told them one possession at a time, just keep thinking positive,” he said.

Cedar head coach Corry Nielsen said his team made some costly mistakes down the stretch and admitted he was partly to blame.

“I made some (play) calls I probably shouldn’t have,” he said.

“We were up five with 15 seconds left … they fought back and we couldn’t do anything about it,” Nielsen said. “That was a big play when we got boxed out of the rebound there at the end (of regulation).”

Pine View had jumped out to an early lead, pulling ahead 14-6 by the end of the first quarter and 19-9 with 3:25 left in the second. However, Cedar went on a 7-0 run, capped off by a three-point play by Brower, who had a steal, layup and free throw with 53 seconds left in the first half to pull the Lady Reds within three points, 19-16. However, Jensen then drilled a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give Pine View a 22-16 halftime lead.

Cedar guard Japrix Weaver shoots over Pine View defenders, St. George, Utah, Jan. 16, 2018, | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

After halftime, Cedar scored the first six points of the third quarter to tie the score 22-22 with 5:46 left, but Pine View then went on a 7-1 run of its own to pull ahead 29-23 by the end of the third period.

However, with 5:00 left in the fourth, the Lady Reds had taken the lead once again, as Japrix Weaver dished the ball to fellow guard Logann Laws for a layup underneath to put Cedar ahead 33-31. The rest of the fourth quarter was marked by several ties and lead changes, accompanied by frequent referees’ whistles.

The two teams racked up 49 fouls during the physical contest, with Cedar committing 25 and Pine View 24. Pine View converted 24 of its 36 free throw attempts, while Cedar made 19 of 32 free throws.

Japrix Weaver led all scorers with 20 points – 10 in each half – but no other Cedar player reached double figures in scoring. Senior starters Dream Weaver and Carley Davis, both of whom fouled out in the fourth quarter, were uncharacteristically held to a single field goal each, scoring 4 and 3 points, respectively. Reserve forward Denim Henkel, a sophomore, did provide a late spark for Cedar, scoring 4 points in the fourth quarter and hitting 5 of 6 free throws in the overtime to finish the game with nine points.

Cedar struggled in its outside shooting throughout the game, missing all of its 3-point field goal attempts. The Lady Reds were also unable to make any 2-point baskets in the overtime period, as Pine View came up with several clutch rebounds and steals late in the game to clinch the win.

Adding to Allen’s 19 points for Pine View were Jensen with 13 points and senior Dawn Mead with 7.

Cedar’s Region 9 record dropped to 3-1 with the loss, while Pine View improved to 4-1 in region with the win.

Cedar next plays at home vs. Hurricane Thursday, Jan. 18, while Pine View will host Canyon View that same evening, with both contests scheduled to start at 7 p.m..

Hurricane 45, Desert Hills 39

In other Region 9 girls basketball action Tuesday, Hurricane picked up its first region win of the season as it defeated Desert Hills at Hurricane, 45-39. The Lady Tigers grabbed a 17-12 halftime lead and stayed ahead much of the rest of the game. Senior Alexa Christensen led Hurricane’s balanced scoring attack with 10 points, while Tylee Brisk and Madi Hirschi each added nine points and Jayden Langford added seven.

“It was a great team win,” said Hurricane head coach Franci Homer. “We had girls hit clutch free throws in the fourth quarter. We did a better job tonight attacking a zone defense and taking care of the ball.”

Tuesday’s contest leaves Hurricane and Desert Hills with identical 1-3 region records. Hurricane next plays at Cedar Thursday, Jan. 18, while Desert Hills next hosts Dixie that same evening.

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