5A boys high school basketball: Intimidated? Jags just say no, win 5A title

WEST VALLEY CITY — West Jordan wasn't interested in being a footnote in Lone Peak's historic dynasty.

The Jaguars knew all about Lone Peak's bid Saturday night to win a third-straight state title and a fourth in five years — a feat not accomplished since the '50s. The players simply refused to be intimidated by the seemingly daunting task in front of them.

Playing with a big heart for a fallen ex-teammate and unwavering poise, West Jordan accomplished what no one outside of its own city limits probably thought was possible — it beat Lone Peak 63-52 to claim the 5A state championship.

"Everyone has always been intimidated to play them, and I think we went into the game ready to play them," said West Jordan guard Jordan Weirick. "We didn't want them to get the three-peat. We wanted to get the ring for ourselves."

The Jaguars won their first state title since 2001 by outshooting and outrebounding Lone Peak, as well as harassing reigning Mr. Basketball Tyler Haws into one of the worst shooting nights of his career.

"I know nobody really believed we could win today, but we felt like we were supposed to win. We've had an emotional locker room all week.… I'm just so proud of my guys," said West Jordan coach Scott Briggs.

Joe Montgomery, a reserve player for the Jaguars last season, was involved in an accident earlier this week and passed away during West Jordan's semifinal win over Davis. The emotion further united an already tight team.

"I think we came out and played for Joe Montgomery. Even though he wasn't the most talented player, he was the hardest worker by far of anyone. We just came out and played like him, and just played in his memory," said Weirick.

West Jordan closed the game on a 15-4 run to claim the title, something Briggs hoped might happen. Lone Peak has rarely been tested in the fourth quarter this season, and Briggs challenged his team to keep it close to see how the Knights responded. They didn't handle the situation well at all.

With the game tied 48-48 with 4:33 remaining, West Jordan went ahead for good on one of Reyes Gallegos' four 3-pointers. Mason Sawyer extended the lead to 56-48 with five straight points over the next two minutes, while Lone Peak came up empty on four straight possessions.

Gallegos finished with 22 points, but his biggest points came in the third quarter.

Both teams came out red hot, with the score level at 19-19 after the first quarter. Lone Peak stayed hot in the second quarter, opening up a 31-20 lead with three minutes remaining in the first half, and appeared poised to pull away.