LAUREL – The standing room only crowd at Laurel High School was treated to a night of exciting Southern C semifinal action on Friday night.
PARK CITY 44, Melstone 42
Melstone came into the night at 22-0 but hopes of an undefeated season were dashed as Park City upset the Broncs 44-42 in a thriller.
Melstone led 21-18 at the start of the third quarter, but an 11-0 run by Park City gave the Panthers a 29-21 advantage.
The Broncs were undefeated for a reason. They closed the quarter on a 10-0 run to take a 31-29 lead into the fourth.
The run continued in the final quarter. Melstone grabbed a 5 point lead and looked to have breathing room.
Rylan Gauthier had other ideas. Gauthier hit back to back triples and all of a sudden Park City jumped in front 40-38.
With just over a minute left, Melstone called on their star Brody Grebe and he answered. Grebe weaved his way thru the entire defense and banked it up and in to tie the score at 40.
Park City called a play out of a timeout and it worked to perfection. Talon Johstone popped wide open on the elbow and he drained the jumper to put the Panthers back in front.
The Broncs went to Grebe for the tie, but the junior was stripped by Gauthier and he went coast to coast for the hoop and harm.
Gauthier missed the free throw and Grebe charged down the court for the quick deuce and Melstone once again had life.
The Broncs put Gauthier at the line for two free throws with 8 seconds left. Two misses later and Grebe was back to the races, looking to beat the clock and save Melstone’s undefeated season.
Grebe got all the way to the hoop but his contested lay up bounced off the backboard and the celebration was on for Park City.
Gauthier led the Panthers with 20 points, while Johnstone notched a double-double with 11 points and 13 rebounds. Grebe led all scorers with 21 points, but no other Broncs reached double figures.
BRIDGER 73, Plenty Coups 54
In the night cap, the Plenty Coups press was no match for Bridger as the Scouts converted lay up after lay up on their way to a 73-54 semifinal victory.
The Scouts led by 8 after one quarter and they kept attacking the hoop in the second quarter. Bridger grabbed a 31-17 lead going into the break and never looked back on Friday night.
Kolton Pospisil led four Scouts in double figures with a double-double of 22 points and 11 rebounds. Carson Roberts poured in 15 points, while Russell Zentner added 12.
Bridger will play Park City for the Southern C championship on Saturday night at 8:00 p.m.
