1A GIRLS: Lewis’ timeout triggers Panther run to title game

Some coaches prefer not to have their players call for a timeout.

But Pahranagat Valley girls basketball coach Amy Huntsman welcomed forward Halie Lewis’ suggestion.

After allowing a 10-3 third-quarter run by Wells to tie the game at 22, the Panthers came out of the timeout on a 20-12 spurt and cruised to a 43-34 win over the Leopards in a Class 1A state semifinal at Arbor View.

Pahranagat Valley will play Eureka in the finals at 6 p.m. Saturday at Orleans Arena.

“When it was 22-22, one of my leaders came up to me (Halie Lewis) and said, 'coach, let’s get a time out and let’s refocus,’” Huntsman said. “For a junior, I thought that was very mature and it did lead us to a great motivational moment.

“They (Wells) did make a great run on us, but I told them to settle down and not to panic. They settled down, and in the fourth quarter we were able to do what we wanted to do.”

The Panthers scored 16 points off 15 turnovers in the second half through the use of a diamond-and-one press and a 1-2-2 zone defense, in outscoring the Leopards 19-12 in the fourth quarter.

Dakota Day had 13 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks to lead Pahranagat Valley. Lewis added 12 points, 10 rebounds and five steals for the Panthers.

Kevyn Swabb paced the Leopards with 11 points and teammate Emily Pengelly grabbed nine boards.

Huntsman said tomorrow’s final should be a good game despite her team’s double-digit home win over Eureka in the regular season.

“(Eureka coach Ken) Fujii is a great coach and we know they’re going to pressure us,” Huntsman said. “If we can handle the pressure and make it a half-court game, we’ll have the advantage. I like where we’re at and we figured we’d see them.”

Eureka 51, Tonopah 18 — Eureka was somewhat familiar with their opponent Friday as both teams returned a majority of its players from a game last season.

Familiarity breeds contempt, and it proved true as the Vandals routed the Muckers in the Class 1A semifinal game at Arbor View.

“I think we took the momentum in the first half by playing fairly good defense and limiting their shots,” Eureka coach Ken Fujii said. “I tried to get our team to play a little bit harder at halftime, and after that I thought our kids did a really good job on defense.”

Eureka limited Tonopah to only three points in the first quarter to claim the early lead.

Taylor Merritt had 11 points and Lydia Bond added 10 points to lead the Vandals, who had 10 players score.

“I think that’s one of our strengths in having balanced scoring from the starters and the bench,” Fujii said. “We’re tickled to death with where we’re at and we hope to be competitive tomorrow.”