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Richfield • Tabiona girls' basketball coach Jake Fabrizio's voice cracked in the tunnels of the Sevier Valley Center.
He looked into the crowd after his team held on to beat Monticello 31-29 with two defensive stands at the rim in the final 20 seconds. He wasn't the only one overcome with emotion. The town of Tabiona, located in Duchesne County, is home to 171 people, according to the 2010 United State Census.
Nearly every one of them was in attendance Friday night.
"From our little town, this is a magical thing for these girls," Fabrizio said. "They fought hard. These girls have dreamed to walk through the lights and the fog [in the state championship] their whole life. This is a special deal."
Tabiona will face Bryce Valley at 5 p.m. Saturday at the Sevier Valley Center. The Tigers are searching for the school's second girls' basketball title in school history. The first came in 2007.
"We're such a small community," Fabrizio said. "These kids become our kids. We're with them all the time, whether it's basketball or school. It doesn't matter. I just want to see them succeed. I'm a little emotional."
After a slow start, Tabiona evened the score at 11-11 at the end of the first quarter when McKall Giles connected on a halfcourt buzzer beater.
"I could see it just going and going and going, and it dropped and we went crazy," Giles said.
The Tigers carried the momentum from the shot and controlled the tempo for the majority of the game, but Monticello battled back to tie the game at 29-29 with 2:08 remaining. That's when Tabiona muscled up a layup for a two-point lead.
Then Tabiona's Gracie Rhoades stood tall but didn't foul underneath with 18.8 seconds left. But the Tigers missed two ensuing free throws, forcing another defensive stand in the paint as time expired.
"We preach defense," Fabrizio said. "We told them defense wins championships, and it does. That's what our team is about."
Added Giles: "This is a huge accomplishment."
Twitter: @trevorphibbs —
Tabiona 31, Monticello 29
R Tabiona has won one girls' basketball state title, which came in 2007.
• The Tigers made two defensive stops in the final 20 seconds to secure the win.
• Tabiona will face Bryce Valley at 5 p.m. Saturday for the state championship.