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Show PHS gals seek to repeat title PAROWAN The Parowan High girls' basketball team begin this year's state playoffs just where last year's state championship squad did--as the third place team from Region 12. A third place finish at the regional playoffs last week, like last year, earned the Ram gals the last berth from the region at state, which begins today at Snow College in Ephraim. North Sevier took the regional championship, downing Piute in the final round. Parowan gained the third spot with their final-round consolation victory over Valley. PHS started things out on the right foot, bombing Kanab 54-36 Thursday. The Cowboys never threatened the much superior Parowan team. The Rams led 22-4 after one period and managed to play their opponents even from there. Coach Donna Owens was able to" clear the bench for much of the third and fourth quarters, with the result being at least two points for every team member. Misti Bentley, averaging over 23 points a game for the season, managed 18 in her limited playing time. Barbara Davenport and Julie Wright each added nine and Christie Austin netted eight for the winners. Piute then derailed PHS hopes of a showdown with eventual champion North Sevier, utilizing a . controversial call to edge Parowan 45-44 Friday. , It was a slow-paced, tough game for one half, with Parowan managing to eke a one-point lead at intermission after the first-quarter tie. But Piute's offense found holes in the suddenly sud-denly porous PHS defense, and scored eight straight points enroute to a seven-point third quarter bulge. The Thunderbirds maintained that lead, and even stretched it a bit to nine with just three minutes to play. "About that time, the girls decided they really wanted to win the game," Owens said. - In fact, Misti Bentley. even had a chance to tie the match from the free throw line with 13 seconds remaining and her team down by two. Bentley proceeded to convert the first, and even put down the second, but on that second shot was called for crossing the free throw line too soon and the point was taken away. Bentley had another outstanding game, pouring in 28 points, while senior Davenport chipped in 10. The victory for the state playoff berth came at the expense of Wayne, 5341. The game wasn't as tight as the score indicated, in-dicated, but Wayne provided the Parowan team with a few anxious moments in the final quarter. The Rams, as against Kanab, opened a large lead almost from the very beginning. They led 10-2 at the quarter, 21-11 at the half and 34-21 after three. In fact, at one point in the fourth quarter, PHS opened as much as a 22-point 22-point lead over the, Badgers, and once more Owens began to put substitutes in. "We had to put our starters back in to finish the game after a few minutes because Wayne just about cut our lead in half," said Owens. The regular crew was able to hold the 12-point lead for the rest of the game. Bentley was once more high scorer with 23 points, Davenport added 14 and Wright 10. By nearly unanimous acclaim, junior phenom Bentley was named to the tourney's first team and voted the affair's most valuable player. Davenport was given a spot on the second team. The Rams will meet Green River, the first place team from Region 10, today. Owens is still hopeful of a victory. "I'm hoping the girls won't think that because this is a first place team we can't beat them," she said. "The difference between first and third place in our region is very small, |