Mountain Crest comes up one run short in upset bid

HYRUM – With under a minute left in the third quarter Mountain Crest forced a Sky View turnover trailing 46-43, but the Mustangs turned it right back over and the Bobcats hit another basket before the fourth quarter. In a game where Mountain Crest fought back time and time again, they didn’t have another run in them as Sky View slowly pulled away for the 69-53 win.

The Mustangs played their best game of the season on senior night, finding runs at the end of the first three quarters. In the first, Mountain Crest went on a 6-0 run over the last three-plus minutes to cut into a 17-5 lead. The Mustangs scored five unanswered points with less than two minutes in the half to go in to the locker room down 32-39. It was a 7-0 run over the last three minutes in the quarter that got it to 46-43 for Sky View before the Mustangs gave the ball right back after forcing a turnover and they never got it that close again.

The Bobcats came in with a massive size advantage and Evan Hall was unstoppable most of the night, finishing with a game high 27. Hall had 10 in the fourth quarter and scored on the Bobcats’ last four possessions to close out the game. The 6′ 10” senior center Jackson Schumann was the other double figure scorer, finishing with 12, and played almost the entire second half. Nine different players scored for Sky View.

Seniors Nick Lefevre and Tyson Merrill led the way for the Mustangs, combining for 32 points. Lefevre had a career high 22, including seven in the second and fourth quarters. Sophomore Travis Leiser played some big first half defensive minutes, blocking Hall twice and stripping Schumann on a drive. However, after Preston Wiberg picked up two quick fouls, getting to four on the night, and sitting late in the third, the Mustangs couldn’t defend the post.

The senior night celebrations for Mountain Crest revealed how tough injuries have been for coach Andersen’s squad. Mark Davis, Caden Jones, Tanner Bone, Lefevre and Merril were the five seniors but three didn’t suit up. Davis has missed most of the season with a hand injury, Bone missed all of region play with a foot injury and Jones missed the second half of region play with an ankle injury. Bone was a starter last season and this season, Jones replaced him in the starting lineup after he went out and Davis would have have been a rotation player after being one last year. All three are over six feet tall and the lack of size became very evident to close out region play.

After the 59-55 Green Canyon upset in Smithfield on Wednesday, the Bobcats were playing for a chance to share the region title but Ridgeline beat Logan 70-61. Green Canyon closed out their region season with a 43-40 win at home versus Bear River. Sky View and Ridgeline are locks for first round byes, and likely Logan, for the state playoffs. Green Canyon would seem to have a chance to sneak in with the upset at Sky View, while Bear River and Mountain Crest will be on the road when the 4A playoffs begin next Tuesday.

Final Region 11 Standings

Ridgeline (14-8, 9-1)

Sky View (15-5, 8-2)

Logan (15-5, 7-3)

Green Canyon (12-10, 5-5)

Bear River (9-12, 2-8)

Mountain Crest (2-18, 0-10)

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