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Show SP A6 • WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2007 orts Covering what matters most Clayton's trey sparks Dons at buzzer iDon cagers upset No. 1 Lone Peak ;.. Chad Vest v- STAFF WRITER * -t The top-ranked Lone Peak Knights brought their undefeated record into the Don Dome on the opening night of region play. As the t)uzzer sounded in double overtime, it appeared that the Knights would escape and return home with an untarnished record. One official witnessed a Don player call time-out while another allowed the clock to expire. After a short counsel both referees agreed to place 3.1 seconds back on the clock and grant the Dons a final time-out. If you enjoyed the drama in the Boise State Fiesta Bowl finish, you would have loved this one. Trailing 70-68, the Dons needed to travel the length of the court to send the game into triple overtime. Desperate times call for desperate measures. Dallun Naulu took the inbound pass and quickly dished to Zack Clayton, who threw up a prayer in front of his bench just inside half court. The Christopher Rawle STAFF WRITER buzzer went off as the ball sailed in perfect line with the bucket. Swoosh! The crowd erupted and students stormed the court after this buzzer-beater hit nothing but net. Pandemonium struck the building! The underdog Dons were victorious, knocking off the Knights by the score of 71-70. In a brief post-game, Clayton said he felt awesome after that final shot. "It was just awesome to see everyone storm the court Down by two points with 3.1 seconds to go, Spanish Fork needed a miracle. Zack Clayton gave them one. Taking a quick pass from point guard Dallun Naulu, Clayton cashed a 40-foot trey as time expired to give the Dons a thrilling 71-70, double-overtime victory over the Lone Peak Knights. The win, which came in the Dons' first Region game of the year, set off a wild celebration between players and fans as the gym was .-serenaded with chants of "We are....S.F.!" The game also served as the first blemish on the record of Lone Peak, who came into the game with an. 11-0 record and #1 state ranking. Spanish Fork improved to 7-4 on the year, 1-0 in Region play. See DONS • A8 Clayton's shot overshadowed the heroics of Lone Peak junior Josh Sharp, who came off the bench to put home the game-winning basket on a put-back with 3.1 seconds to go in the second overtime. Unfortunately for the Knights, this was ample time for the Dons to execute their play. Also overlooked in the aftermath of Clayton's shot was the stellar play of senior pivot man Griff Robles, whose 20 points led all players. Robles came up big on the defensive end as well, registering three blocks and, two steals against the Loire1 ' Peak front line of Bracken Funk and Kevin Lindquist. It was a thrilling game from start to finish. The first half saw Spanish Fork erase a seven-point deficit, thanks in large part to a I2-point half from Naulu. Tied at halftime, the two teams battled to a standstill in the third quarter as well, with Clayton scoring eight of his 16 points in the quarter. With the score at SOSO heading into the fourth, Spanish Fork survived two Lone Peak misfires in the final five seconds to send the game into overtime. The first overtime session saw both sides score three points, with the Dons again surviving a Knight shot attempt at the buzzer. Brought off the bench midway through the first overtime, Spanish Fork forward, Devin Nelson, made two free throws to begin'1 the' second overtime. Lone Peak's Landon Clegg answered back with a jumper of his own, followed by Sharp's put-back with nearly three seconds to go, setting the stage for one of the most memorable shots in Spanish Fork history. Chad Carter / Spanish Fork News BIG MAN: Griff Robles moves the'ball in the game against Lone Peak. SAM'S PREP OF THE WEEK Jenna Johnson - Basketball ' Junior - Guard Junior Jenna Johnson is the daughter of Steve and Marian Johnson of Salem. In her third year playing varsity, Jenna led the Lady Dons against Payson on Jan. 5,2007, lighting up the Scoreboard with 29 points. To prove that it wasn't just luck, Johnson put on another personal shooting clinic against PG on Tuesday, Jan. 9, scoring 30 points, including five treys. * Sponsored by :*S f Change 552 N. Main* 7987877 Chad Carter / Spanish Fork News OVER THE TOP: Jason Steenstra shoots over the Knight defense. |