Panguitch defeats Piute to claim 1A state boys basketball championship

Written by Jeff Richards
March 5, 2023

RICHFIELD — The Panguitch boys basketball team defeated rival Piute 58-46 on Saturday to claim the 1A state championship.

Panguitch vs. Piute, 1A boys basketball state championship, Richfield, Utah, March 4, 2023 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News

The game was a rematch of last year’s title game, which Piute won, 49-42.

Panguitch coach Clint Barney said that right before the game, he reminded his players about last year’s loss to the Thunderbirds.

“That was the last thing I said in the locker room, that, you know, some say that we didn’t come out with the enthusiasm that we needed to last year,” Barney told St. George News after the game. “I said, ‘That’s not gonna happen.’”

After Panguitch jumped out to an early 4-0 lead, Piute’s Jaxon Westwood drained a pair of 3-pointers to make it 6-6 with just over five minutes left in the first quarter. Two minutes later, Panguitch guard Klyn Fullmer hit a 15-foot jumper to make it 8-6 and get the Bobcats going again.

Panguitch ended up taking a 15-10 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Bobcats were able to maintain that advantage over the next two quarters, leading 29-24 at halftime and 44-39 at the end of the third.

Early in the third period, Panguitch had extended its lead to 10 points, 36-26, but Piute went on a 6-0 run to get back to within four.

Then, with one minute left in the third, Piute’s Titan King made a pair of free throws to cut the T-Birds’ deficit to two points, 41-39. However, Fullmer then converted a three-point play with 45 seconds left, giving Panguitch a 44-39 lead after three.

The Bobcats started the fourth quarter on an 8-2 run, capped off by a three-point play by Cache Eyre at the 4:00 mark, putting Panguitch up by 11 points, 52-41. While working time off the clock, the Bobcats sank 6-of-8 free throws down the stretch (they were 12-of-14 from the line overall) to seal the 58-46 win.

Panguitch players and celebrate after the Bobcats’ 58-46 victory over Piute in the 1A boys basketball championship game, Richfield, Utah, March 4, 2023 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News

Barney said the Bobcats’ rebounding, particularly on the defensive end, was an important key to the victory.

“We got some stops, and when you get stops, you’ve got to get rebounds,” Barney said.

Eyre scored a game-high 16 points for Panguitch, including seven in the fourth quarter. Fullmer and Tucker Chappell each finished with 14 points, while Justin Osburn added 10. Starting center Spencer Talbot, who also gathered a team-high nine rebounds, added four points to round out the Bobcats’ scoring.

Leading the way for Piute was Brooks Gleave, scoring 13 points, Kole Westwood adding 10, Kel Blood making eight and King finishing with seven.

Panguitch finished its season with an overall record of 24-3, including a perfect 9-0 in Region 20. In their nine regular-season games, they outscored their region opponents by an average of 71-36.

After losing three early preseason contests, the last of which was a 49-46 defeat at Enterprise on Dec. 20, the Bobcats got back on track with successive victories against 4A Hurricane, 2A San Juan and 3A Canyon View at the Hodson Cancer Classic tournament in late December.

Panguitch’s double-overtime win over Canyon View on Dec. 30 ended up being the last close contest the Bobcats would play, as they went on to run the table since the new year, winning every game by double digits.

“What we tried to do this year was a way tougher schedule than usual,” Barney said, adding that the Bobcats also had a rigorous practice schedule spanning several months.

“Our schedule doesn’t start in November, it starts in the offseason,” he said. “You’ve got to get yourself in shape.”

Panguitch vs. Piute, 1A boys basketball state championship, Richfield, Utah, March 4, 2023 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News

Top-seeded Panguitch started the state tournament in Richfield with an 84-61 win over Tintic on Wednesday, followed by a 61-44 victory over No. 9 Rich on Thursday. Then, in Friday’s semifinals, the Bobcats pulled away in the second half to defeat No. 4 Tabiona, 48-36.

Saturday’s win over Piute marked the ninth state title in boys basketball for Panguitch, which won its first three at 33-year intervals, in 1924, 1957 and 1990. Saturday’s game happened to mark 33 years since 1990, meaning the Bobcats successfully kept that streak going. Also of note, Panguitch senior Spencer Talbot’s father Brayton “Boo” Talbot was the starting center on the Bobcats’ 1990 championship team.

The win also happened to be Panguitch’s 99th overall state title across all sanctioned sports, according to Utah High School Activities Association. Remarkably, the Bobcats have won 90 of those titles after the 1990 boys basketball win, and 74 since 2000. Panguitch’s other five boys basketball titles came in 1998, 2001, 2017, 2018 and 2021.

Panguitch’s 99 total state championships, by sport, are as follows: 17 state titles in boys track, 15 in girls track, 13 in girls basketball, 11 in drill team, nine each in boys basketball and baseball, eight each in volleyball and girls cross-country, six in wrestling and three in boys cross-country.

The Bobcats, who also recently won the school’s fourth straight state wrestling title, could very well bring home the school’s 100th state championship trophy this spring, as Panguitch has won several track titles in recent years, including two last year.

Girls 1A championship

Wayne 29, Tabiona 26

In the 1A girls championship game, the Wayne Badgers held off a late rally by Tabiona to win, 29-26.

Wayne players celebrate their 29-26 win over Tabiona in the 1A girls basketball state championship, Richfield, Utah, March 4, 2023 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News

Both teams came into the title game having previously upset higher-seeded teams. Fourth-seeded Wayne toppled No. 1 Rich 41-31 in Friday’s semifinals, while No. 7 Tabiona had previously beaten both No. 2 Wendover and No. 3 Valley.

In Saturday afternoon’s championship contest, both teams struggled offensively in the first half, with Tabiona taking a 5-2 lead after one quarter and Wayne leading 13-9 at halftime. At the end of the third, the Badgers led by just two points, 17-15.

Early in the fourth quarter, Wayne seniors AnDee VanDyke and Haylie Durfey each made a 3-pointer, pushing the Badgers’ lead to six. The Tigers made a last-minute rally to get back within three points, only to see their final two shot attempts to tie the game fall short.

Tabiona converted just 8-of-23 free throws (34.7%) during the game, including 4-of-14 during the fourth quarter. The victory marked the second-ever state title for Wayne in girls basketball, with the other one coming in 2004.

Wayne’s VanDyke led all scorers with 12 points, while Hadlee Taylor added six and Dufery finished with five. Tabiona was led by MerSadie Rhoades with eight points, while Milee Strebel and Maycee Rhoades each scored six.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2023, all rights reserved.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jeff Richards, a native of Salt Lake City with family roots in Panguitch, lived in Moab for 20 years before joining St. George News in 2017. Jeff is a longtime journalist and secondary school teacher. He and his wife Penny are the parents of five daughters. They also have three young grandsons. Jeff and his family enjoy swimming, camping, sightseeing, reading, and taking pictures.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @stgnews@moabjeff@stgnewssports

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