Knights dethrone Hawks

WEST VALLEY CITY — With some buzzer-beating heroics, the Northridge Knights' Cinderella march through the Class 5A basketball tournament continues.

After Alta's Chase Hansen tied the game with a deep 3-pointer with six seconds remaining in overtime, the Knights' Tage Clifford hit a 15-foot jumper at the buzzer Wednesday night for a 49-47 quarterfinal win over the defending state champions. Northridge eliminated its second straight foe on a last-second shot.

"It was one of my best shots of the night. I looked up at it, it had good rotation on it and I knew it was in right when it left my hands," Clifford said of the game-winner.

When looking at the records, Northridge's win might be considered only a mild upset. Both teams came into the game with 14-9 overall records. However, Northridge is the No. 5 seed from Region 1 while Alta is the No. 2 seed from Region 2. Also, having a state trophy in the showcase to defend can be a bit intimidating to opponents. Not to Northridge.

"We feel like we should have done better in region, but it's state time and I'm just glad that we're on a roll right now," Northridge coach C.K. Hansen said.

It was a game that neither team looked like it wanted to win in regulation. On key late fourth-quarter possessions, both teams turned the ball over, committed crucial fouls and missed vital shots and free throws. Leading 40-39, the Knights had four straight chances to extend their lead but committed a turnover each time.

Alta's Brett Adams had a chance to give the Hawks the lead with less than two minutes remaining but missed two free throws. After Taylor Alvey tied the game with 50 seconds left with a short hook, the Hawks got the ball back and missed a last-second fall-away jumper in the paint.

"There was a lot of pressure," Hansen said. "They're the defending state champions and ranked No. 2, so they were feeling a lot of pressure and we put a lot of pressure on ourselves. "

The Knights seemed in control in overtime when Clifford hit a trey. A free throw by Cam Pribble extended the lead to 46-42, and the Knights had possession when they committed another turnover with 40 seconds remaining. A short jumper by Adams trimmed the lead to two. Clifford hit only one of two free throws with 17 seconds, giving Alta a chance — which the Hawks capitalized on. When Northridge called timeout with six seconds left in overtime and the game tied, everyone knew who was getting the ball.

"When I came off the court I told the coach to give me the ball and I'd put it in the hoop, and that's what I did," Clifford said.