BOUNTIFUL -- The best way to measure the heart and character of a team is to throw a challenge ripe with street in its direction and then sit back and wait for the results. This said, the Viewmont Vikings, fighting for its state playoff life met and conquered their challenge, the Weber High Warriors in a gut wrenching 52-48 win Tuesday night.
"I am so proud of my guys," said Viewmont head coach Jeff Emery. "They knew what was at stake and did what they were supposed to to get the win."
At stake was a trip to the state tournament.
"This was one of those games where we all knew there was no tomorrow if we didn't win," Emery said. "All season long we have been able to look at aspects of a game, especially a loss, and then make adjustments to fix problems we would see. If we lost tonight, there was no going back and fixing things. If we lost, that was it."
The Vikings jumped out fast and opened a 13-7 lead in the first quarter and seemed on the verge of putting the visitors from Pleasant View away until a near disaster play struck. Midway through the second quarter, leading by eight, Weber's Cole Abbot was fouled as he nailed a three-point basket from the corner. Abbot, who finished with a game high 19 points, calmly hit his free throw cutting the lead in half. From that point neither team was able to put the other away.
"That was a big shot for them," Emery said. "We had a few times when I thought we'd be able to put them away and it never happened. I think at that point we were really ready to blow open the game and then Abbot hit that shot.
"He is a great player."
After Abbot made life miserable for the Vikings in the first half, scoring 17 of his points, Emery called on senior Paul Rampton to shut down the Weber senior in the second half.
"We had a few guys go after Abbot," Emery said. "But Paul is our best perimeter defender and athlete and he did a great job shutting Abbot down."
Emery said the diamond-and-one defense with Rampton in Abbot's hip pocket not only caused the Weber scorer to make just one basket in the second half, but it also disrupted the Warrior offense.
"Anytime you throw a wrinkle like that into a team's offense you really mess up their flow and I think that's what happened here," Emery said.
Emery praised his team's balanced attack. The Vikings finished the game with four players in double figures. Tommy Barrett (17), Brian Stevenson (10), Davis Emery (10) and Rampton (10) led the Vikings.
"That's when we're at our best," Emery said. "When we are getting help from everyone."
The Vikings will now play in the state tournament. Their game with Lone Peak, one of the state's top teams, is slated for a 5:50 tipoff on Tuesday night at the Dee Events Center.
"We played Lone Peak in the pre-season and played them tough for most of the game," Emery said. "Each year there are upsets in the first round of the state tournament. If we play smart and our game plan, we can be one of those teams that pulls off the upset.
"That's why they lace up the sneakers and play the games."
sschulte@davisclipper.com
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