Clutch Hosier propels Pahranagat Valley into final

With his team in trouble and the clock dwindling, Pahranagat Valley's Cody Hosier knew he had to act fast or his prep career would come to an end.

The senior guard made sure his team lived to play another day, scoring 12 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter and assisting on Derek Hansen's winning basket to lift the Panthers to a 53-51 victory over Smith Valley in the Class 1A state semifinals Friday at Arbor View.

The victory lifted the Panthers (25-4) into today's championship game against Virginia City (22-9) at 7:45 p.m. at Orleans Arena.

"As the team captain, it's my job to keep these guys motivated," said Hosier, whose team trailed most of the second half. "I just took the responsibility because I knew the team needed to be revived."

Pahranagat Valley, last year's 1A state champion, appeared buried after Austin Sannebeck hit a layup to give the Bulldogs a 51-46 lead with 2:10 remaining.

But the Panthers chipped away and finally tied it at 51 after Hosier nabbed two steals and made a pair of free throws with 38 seconds left.

Smith Valley's Jordan Fletcher, who scored 26 points, missed a free throw with 20 seconds to go, and Pahranagat Valley grabbed the rebound.

Hosier threaded a 10-foot bounce pass through traffic to Hansen, who hit a layup with three seconds left for the decisive points.

"I was told to go to the basket," Hosier said. "But they collapsed on me and I found Derek. It all happened so fast."

Smith Valley took an 18-12 lead on an off-balance 7-footer by Rodolfo Casteaneda with 5:12 left in the first half.

Fletcher scored all nine of the Bulldogs' third-quarter points, but the Panthers pulled even at 33-all entering the final period on two Hosier free throws.

"We expected this," Pahranagat Valley coach Brian Higbee said. "It's always like this against Smith, but I told my kids I never doubted them."

Smith Valley surged ahead early in the fourth and maintained a comfortable lead until Pahranagat Valley began its rally.

"Our guys made the plays when they needed to," Higbee said. "That's the sign of a winner."

Kade Wadsworth had nine points and six rebounds to help the Panthers.

Casteaneda finished with eight points for the Bulldogs.

■ Virginia City 59, Beatty 44 -- The Muckers advanced with a victory over the Hornets in the early semifinal.

Zach Shell compiled 23 points and five steals for Virginia City, which overcame a sluggish start with several extended spurts.

Beatty grabbed a 7-0 lead, but a timeout helped the Muckers regroup. They went on a 20-2 run in the remainder of the first quarter to lead 20-9.

"We expected to jump ahead and dictate the pace of the game," Beatty coach Brian Hayes said.

But the Muckers led 30-20 at halftime and began pulling away in the third quarter.

Ryan Conners helped Virginia City with 15 points and 11 rebounds.

Ivan Maldonado had 21 points and six rebounds to lead the Hornets. Anthony Turner added seven points and eight rebounds.

GIRLS

■ Pahranagat Valley 43, Wells 34 -- Some coaches prefer not to have their players call for a timeout. But Pahranagat Valley coach Amy Huntsman welcomed the suggestion by forward Halie Lewis.

After allowing a 10-3 third-quarter run by Wells that tied the game at 22, the Panthers called timeout, went on a 20-12 spurt and cruised past the Leopards in a Class 1A semifinal at Arbor View.

Pahranagat Valley (18-8) will play Eureka in the championship game at 6 p.m. today at Orleans Arena.

"When it was 22-22, one of my leaders (Lewis) came up to me and said, 'Coach, let's get a timeout 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, largely because of their diamond-and-one press and 1-2-2 zone defense. They outscored 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.

Kevyn Swabb paced the Leopards (20-6) with 11 points, and Emily Pengelly grabbed nine boards.

Huntsman said she expects a competitive game against Eureka in today's championship game despite her team's double-digit home victory over the Vandals 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 limited Tonopah to three points in the first quarter on its way to an easy victory over the Muckers.

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