1A all-tournament team Bobcats claw Mustangs

RICHFIELD — A bit of panic set in on the Bobcat bench when the Manila Mustangs pulled within four points in the third quarter of the 1A championship game Saturday night at the Sevier Valley Center.

It wasn't because the Panguitch players and coaches thought they might lose. It was because winning was not enough.

"I was nervous knowing that if we didn't have a big enough lead, Oaklee couldn't come in," said senior Jennifer Perkins after the Bobcats won their second title in a row and their seventh championship in eight years with a 45-30 win over Manila. "We've got number 12 on our shoes. She's been our inspiration all year, and we've kept her in our hearts. We had to get that lead for Oaks."

Senior Oaklee Orton started for the Bobcats two of the past three years but missed this season with a knee injury that occurred in Panguitch's first game of the season. One of the state's best defensive players, the team felt her absence in both physical and emotional ways.

So in a pre-game meeting between the coaches and officials, Panguitch coach Curtis Barney asked a favor of Manila head coach Kimberly Stephens. If the outcome of the game was not in question, and the two coaches could make eye contact, Oaklee would enter the game and be allowed to score in the final game of her high school career.

It happened with 52 seconds left in the game, and Panguitch had a 17-point lead. Barney called a timeout and Oaklee checked in for the only underclassman on the floor, Hailey Orton, who finished with 10 points. Perkins embraced Oaklee and tears began to fall for everyone involved before Oaklee even got onto the court.

"That was one of the hardest things I've had to do," said Barney. "I couldn't even speak her name to tell her to go in. I just had to push her out there."

Oaklee wiped tears away and took a pass from senior point guard Chelsea Birch. Wearing a knee brace on her injured knee, she awkwardly dribbled toward Cara Gardiner, who backed up and let Oaklee lay the ball in.

"Coach said he wanted to take the seniors out, and I said, 'No you're not! We're playing with Oaklee!'" said tournament MVP Halie Sawyer, who played the entire fourth quarter with four fouls but led the team's rally to widen the gap. Barney said he normally wouldn't have put Sawyer back in the game at the beginning of the fourth quarter, but they needed the points if Oaklee was going to make an appearance.