PAGE, Ariz. — Looking to win the tournament for the third year in a row, Pine View opened up the NGS Classic with a 55-40 win over Kingman Academy (Ariz.).
The Panther bigs were, well, big in the win, with Cody Ruesch pouring in 19 points and Trey Farrer tossing in 15 of his own.
Pine View actually trailed by a point at the half, but clamped down defensively after intermission. Down 28-27, the Panthers outscored the Tigers 12-5 in the third quarter and 28-12 in the second half.
Tyler Johnston also hit double-digits with 10 points, including a 3-pointer, and Brandon Yates had 11 rebounds and four assists to go with his two points. Jefffry Chinyere led Kingman with 12 points.
Pine View, 5-1, won the NGS last season with consecutive wins over Monument Valley, Ariz. (50-47), Montezuma-Cortez, Colo. (63-46) and Tuba City, Ariz. (56-55). The Panthers also win the tourney in 2013.
Pine View has an impressive front line with the 6-foot-5 Ruesch averaging 16.2 points a game and the 6-7 Farrer at 11.3 per game.
The Panthers will play in Friday night’s NGS semifinals against Arbor View from the Las Vegas area. game time is 8 p.m. Pacific Time.
PV returns home for the Coach Walker Classic next Thursday through Saturday.
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