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Highland • The wadded shirt flew from the Lone Peak student section, landing innocently on the hardwood after missing its intended target: Layton's Jarriesse Blackmon.

The ensuing technical foul ballooned the Lancers' lead to 10 points, and put the four-time defending champs on the ropes in the opening game of the season.

"We've been in some special situations in practice," Lone Peak coach Quincy Lewis said. "I said, 'Hey, let's make sure we continue to get good shots, make sure we rebound the ball. There's enough time.'"

In control with 5:53 remaining in regulation, Layton started to unravel at the free-throw line after switching to a conservative offensive approach, and with 1:02 remaining, Lone Peak's Frank Jackson buried a 3-pointer to pull within one before Christian PoPoola preserved the 73-70 win, and extended the Knights' 30-game home winning streak.

"That's a good team we just beat. They play that zone, and they're long. We just kind of hung in there," Lewis said. "I thought a number of times we were close to getting over the hump and just couldn't do it. The adversity, we get a technical foul from our student section when it was deserved. We just hung in there and got it done."

Added Jackson, who finished with a team-high 22 points: "We came together as a team. We were calm, we knew we were going to pull this one out."

Nick Curtis added 19 points after only scoring two points in the first half. PoPoola chipped in 18 points in his first game at Lone Peak.

"I went up strong to the basket," Curtis said. "(Before) I was fading away a little bit; I decided to go into them and make (the referees) call something."

Blackmon scored a game-high 26 points, including two consecutive straightaway 3-pointers to open the second quarter for a 21-15 lead. The Lancers were able to maintain the advantage behind Dallin Watts, who scored 13, when Blackmon exited at 4:43 juncture in the second quarter in foul trouble. But when Watts joined the party and eventually fouled out, Lone Peak was able to focus on containing Blackmon.

"He was sensational in the first half," Lewis said of Blackmon.

"Second half I thought we took care of him a little bit." —

Lone Peak 73,

Layton 70

P Frank Jackson nets team-high 22 points for Lone Peak.

• Jarriesse Blackmon scores game-high 26 points for Layton.