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Taylorsville • Pleasant Grove wiped away an entire game of frustration and extended its season with one basket.
Sara Hamson's bank shot with less than a second to play lifted the Vikings to a 33-31 victory in the opening game of the Class 5A girls' basketball state tournament Monday morning.
The basket set off a wild celebration that was equal parts elation and relief after nearly four full quarters of empty possessions, turnovers and missed opportunities.
"I'm just so glad I could put that in for our team," Hamson said. "I prayed it would go in. I used my best form. ... We've done simulations in practice where it's the game-winning layup and I've missed it a couple times, but that's why we practice."
The winning play was one with which the Vikings were quite familiar. Sadie Nixon took the inbounds pass at halfcourt with 10.8 seconds to play, drove right and passed to Malia Brown, who drove to the baseline and passed to Hamson, who banked in the shot with 0.7 left on the clock.
The Vikings (14-8) advanced to meet Sky View in Wednesday's quarterfinals a chance to wipe out a tough first 31 minutes of basketball Monday morning.
"We struggled in every way possible, but any win that you can get in the state tournament I don't care how we have to get it," Pleasant Grove coach Stephanie Nixon said. "It felt like the championship game. Every win like that, especially on a last-second shot, we are jumping up and cheering and so thankful we are moving on."
Pleasant Grove committed eight turnovers in the third quarter but used a 9-0 run to build a 30-22 lead one minute into the fourth quarter.
Layton (15-7) answered with a 9-0 run of its own for a one-point lead at the 3:56 mark, and the Lancers had possession in the final minute. But Brown forced a turnover and Pleasant Grove called a timeout to set up the game-winning play.
Pleasant Grove 33, Layton 31
• Sara Hamson wins it with a bank shot with 0.7 seconds remaining to give the Vikings the opening-round victory.
• Senior Livia Borges scores 13 points for the Lancers, who rallied back from an eight-point deficit in the fourth quarter.
• Sophomore Sadie Nixon scores a game-high 14 points for the Vikings.
Class 5A
at Salt Lake Community College
Monday
First round scores
Pleasant Grove 33, Layton 31
Sky View 55, Brighton 30
Bingham 69, Northridge 48
Viewmont 56, Riverton 51 in OT
Fremont 53, Taylorsville 45
American Fork 64, Davis 40
Lone Peak 57, West 48
Copper Hills 55, Clearfield 47
Wednesday
Quarterfinals
2:30 p.m. • Lone Peak vs. Copper Hills
4:10 p.m. • Fremont vs. American Fork
5:50 p.m. • Bingham vs. Viewmont
7:30 p.m. • Pleasant Grove vs. Sky View
Friday
Semifinals • 2:30 p.m., 4:10 p.m.
Saturday
11 a.m. • Championship game
Class 4A
at Salt Lake Community College
Tuesday
First round
9:30 a.m. • Judge Memorial vs. Wasatch
11:10 a.m. • Mountain View vs. East
12:50 p.m. • Box Elder vs. Corner Canyon
2:30 p.m. • Maple Mountain vs. Hillcrest
4:10 p.m. • Highland vs. Timpview
5:50 p.m. • Springville vs. Kearns
7:30 p.m. • Skyline vs. Salem Hills
9:10 p.m. • Alta vs. Bountiful
Thursday
Quarterfinals • 9:30 a.m., 11:10 a.m., 12:50 p.m., 2:30 p.m.
Friday
Semifinals • 5:50 p.m., 7:30 p.m.
Saturday
1 p.m. • Championship game