Prep boys basketball: Knights honor Jackson Emery, then knock off Bengals

HIGHLAND — The Lone Peak boys basketball team honored one of its own, as the school retired the jersey of current BYU star Jackson Emery at halftime of Friday night's Region 4 showdown with Brighton.

Then the Knights showed a brand of grit and determination that Emery would be proud of as they battled the Bengals.

Although Lone Peak had lost three close games in league play by giving up the lead late, this time the Knights made the big plays down the stretch and earned the big 67-62 home victory over Brighton.

"We showed some guts tonight," said Knights head coach Quincy Lewis.

"In the three games we've lost, we've been ahead going into the final two minutes. Whether you call it being snakebit or being unlucky, I believe you make your own luck and tonight we did that."

Lone Peak edged out to a three-point advantage as the final minutes ticked away, but the Bengals kept it close with some good plays of their own. When the game was on the line, however, the Knights' defense stood tall.

On two crucial Brighton possessions with the game on the line, Lone Peak jumped into the passing lanes and stole the ball. Those were followed by four made foul shots by Knight senior Tannon Pederson, who finished the game with 22 points, 11 rebounds, six steals and went 8-of-9 from the charity stripe.

"Pederson was a steadying influence for us out there throughout the game," Lewis said. "We had chances to fold but we didn't. He made some big free throws."

The visiting team appeared to be in control after it built an eight-point lead early in the third quarter, but Lone Peak switched to a 1-3-1 zone defense to try to disrupt the Bengal offense.

"They were doing a nice job of feeding the post," Lewis explained. "We had to change it up. We didn't know if it would work, because they are a good team. But it changed the game. Their big guys were doing a good job of sealing us off, but after we changed they weren't able to do that any more."

The Knights forced 10 second-half turnovers and rarely allowed Brighton to get the offensive rhythm it was looking for. That sparked a monster 25-point third quarter that gave Lone Peak a four-point lead heading into the final eight minutes of play.

The Bengals, however, rallied with six of the next seven points to go back in front. The rest of the quarter was a struggle of wills with Lone Peak finding just enough toughness to get the victory.