3A championship: Layton Christian boys basketball wins back-to-back titles in dramatic fashion | News, Sports, Jobs

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Layton Christian forward Shorn Solomon (40) yells in celebration with teammates after defeating Grantsville 48-46 to win the 3A boys basketball state championship game Saturday, Feb. 26, 2022, at the Dee Events Center in Ogden. (BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner)

BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner

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Layton Christian’s Souleymane Barro, right, dribbles the ball as Grantsville’s Gabe Mouritsen gives chase in the 3A boys basketball state championship game Saturday, Feb. 26, 2022, at the Dee Events Center in Ogden. (BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner)

BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner

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Layton Christian players reach to raise the the 3A boys basketball state championship trophy Saturday, Feb. 26, 2022, at the Dee Events Center in Ogden. (BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner)

BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner

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Layton Christian’s Shorn Solomon, left, and Grantsville’s Carter Killian dive for the ball during the 3A boys basketball state championship game Saturday, Feb. 26, 2022, at the Dee Events Center in Ogden. (BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner)

BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner

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Layton Christian guard Elias Olander (22) dribbles around Grantsville’s Dillen Richardson (20) during the 3A boys basketball state championship game Saturday, Feb. 26, 2022, at the Dee Events Center in Ogden. (BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner)

BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner

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Layton Christian players pose with the 3A boys basketball state championship trophy Saturday, Feb. 26, 2022, at the Dee Events Center in Ogden. (BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner)

BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner

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Layton Christian forward Sammy Ishimwe (42) rises for a layup during the 3A boys basketball state championship game against Grantsville Saturday, Feb. 26, 2022, at the Dee Events Center in Ogden. (BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner)

BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner

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Layton Christian guard Timmie Olubisi dribbles during the 3A boys basketball state championship game against Grantsville on Saturday, Feb. 26, 2022, at the Dee Events Center in Ogden. (BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner)

BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner

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Layton Christian’s Isaac Cubero (20) shoots over a contest from Grantsville’s Carter Killian (1) during the 3A boys basketball state championship game Saturday, Feb. 26, 2022, at the Dee Events Center in Ogden. (BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner)

BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner

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Layton Christian’s Elias Olander (22) turns with the ball against Grantsville’s Brigham Mulford (11) during the 3A boys basketball state championship game Saturday, Feb. 26, 2022, at the Dee Events Center in Ogden. (BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner)

BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner

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Grantsville’s Gabe Mouritsen (32) strokes a 3-pointer over a contest from Layton Christian’s Shorn Solomon (40) during the 3A boys basketball state championship game Saturday, Feb. 26, 2022, at the Dee Events Center in Ogden. (BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner)

BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner

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Layton Christian forward Souleymane Barro goes up for a dunk attempt during the 3A boys basketball state championship game against Grantsville on Saturday, Feb. 26, 2022, at the Dee Events Center in Ogden. (BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner)

BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner

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Layton Christian wing Isaac Cubero, left, shoots a 3-pointer over Grantsville’s Blake Bunderson (33) during the 3A boys basketball state championship game Saturday, Feb. 26, 2022, at the Dee Events Center in Ogden. (BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner)

BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner

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From left front, Layton Christian Academy high school principal Jared Miller, head basketball coach Bobby Porter, and LCA director Greg Miller celebrate with the 3A boys basketball state championship trophy as the LCA team cheers behind them after defeating Grantsville 48-46 on Saturday, Feb. 26, 2022, at the Dee Events Center in Ogden. (BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner)

BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner

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Layton Christian forward Shorn Solomon (40) prepares to shoot during the 3A boys basketball state championship game against Grantsville on Saturday, Feb. 26, 2022, at the Dee Events Center in Ogden. (BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner)

BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner

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OGDEN — Most people watching inside the Dee Events Center thought Gabe Mouritsen’s 3-point attempt was going in.

The shot, from the right side around the college 3-point line, had a good line from a well-drawn inbound play in the final seconds.

And after all, the Grantsville High junior was already a searing 6 of 7 from 3-point range in Saturday’s 3A boys basketball state championship game against Layton Christian.

The heavily-contested shot hit off the front of the rim, hit a Cowboys player and the final buzzer sounded, sending the Layton Christian players into a raucous celebration as they beat Grantsville 48-46 at Weber State University to win back-to-back state championships.

Not only did LCA win back-to-back titles, the Eagles did it in different classifications after moving up from 2A to 3A this school year. The last time a boys basketball team won consecutive state titles after moving up a classification was Emery in 1990 (EHS won the 2A championship in 1989 and 3A in 1990).

And the championship win was also LCA’s fourth in the last six seasons.

LCA led for 28 minutes, 13 seconds of the game, but was ultimately a couple inches from watching the Cowboys celebrate instead.

“Listen, I’ve been on both sides of the fence and all I know is, I looked at it, looked it, that’s why I said, thank God when it didn’t go in,” LCA head coach Bobby Porter said of the final shot. “It was a great look, it was a great play.”

LCA led 26-18 at halftime despite being called for five offensive fouls (four charges and one moving screen).

The Eagles led in part because they took advantage of the windows Grantsville opened for them. Point guard Tyrese Lacey converted a fastbreak for a 16-11 lead early in the second quarter and Souleymane Barro put down a dunk — his second of the game to that point — to force a Cowboys timeout.

Lacey finished with 12 points, five steals and three assists in 20 minutes as he dealt with foul trouble in the second half. He relentlessly attacked off the dribble all night, just as he did in the previous two games at Weber State.

Mouritsen’s 3-pointer for Grantsville cut the LCA lead to 22-18, then the Eagles got out and ran.

Isaac Cubero got a tough left-handed layup to go down and Timmie Olubisi went coast-to-coast for a 26-18 lead, which was LCA’s halftime advantage.

The same thing more or less happened in the third quarter: Grantsville would get within two baskets and LCA would strike right back to go up seven or more points.

This time, the events at the end of the third quarter were more consequential because they resulted in the biggest lead of the game to that point.

Playing against a 1-2-2 trap, the Eagles were able to get the ball in a half-court situation, work it around and find both Cubero and Elias Olander for 3-pointers, with the latter making his from beyond the college 3-point line with one second left to make it a 41-30 lead.

Those shots were two of the three 3s LCA made all game (3 for 8).

Otherwise, the Eagles shot 19 of 36 from the floor (52.8{362bf5cdc35eddfb2532d3c23e83b41deb229c4410d15cb1127c60150cbd4488}) overall and 16 of 28 on 2-pointers (57.1{362bf5cdc35eddfb2532d3c23e83b41deb229c4410d15cb1127c60150cbd4488}).

In the middle of the next Cowboys comeback attempt (41-35), an LCA stall on offense ended up with the ball in Barro’s hands on the baseline. He made a move and threw down a two-handed dunk.

“Souleymane came to play today, offensively and defensively,” Porter said.

All the while, Mouritsen kept making 3s for Grantsville. He made one to cut the LCA lead to 47-43 and another, with a defender in his face, to make it 48-46 with 17 seconds left.

“They hit a big shot, coaches just brought us into a timeout, say ‘in through your nose, out through your mouth, breathe, God has it in his hands and let’s go play, you guys know what to do,’” Lacey said.

Barro missed the front end of a one-and-one free-throw trip with 6.8 seconds left. Grantsville rebounded and got the ball to midcourt and called timeout with 3.2 seconds left.

The front end was Barro’s only missed shot of the night as he went 4 of 4 from the field and 4 of 5 from the foul line for 12 points.

Grantsville’s ensuing inbound play went to the high post and then back out to Mouritsen on the right wing.

Lacey contested the shot and claimed he got a small piece of the ball.

“It’s unbelievable. Mixed emotions because you’re so nervous, you’re scared, you think it’s not going in so you’re happy, it’s just so many emotions,” said Lacey, who hails from Birmingham, England.

Mouritsen’s shot tracked well, looking like it would go in until it hit off the front of the rim. Porter looked up to the ceiling, put his hands on his chest, said a few words to himself, smiled and then pointed to the sky.

“I knew it was a battle, last game we only won by one, right in here man it was just incredible,” Porter said. “I just look at it man, and I get so happy.”

The Eagles beat Grantsville both times in the regular season to win the Region 13 title in two close games (54-44 and 62-61). They won the rebounding battle in both those games and won the rebounding battle Saturday, 24-22.

But Mouritsen, the junior guard, almost singlehandedly shot the Cowboys to their first championship since 1998. He finished with a game-high 20 points and shot 6 of 8 from beyond the arc.

If he shot 7 of 8, the story of Saturday’s game is quite different.

CONSOLATION GAMES

Girls 3rd-place game: Morgan 65, Layton Christian 41

Boys 5th-place game: Morgan 47, Ben Lomond 43

GIRLS CHAMPIONSHIP

JUDGE MEMORIAL 43, RICHFIELD 37

OGDEN — University of Utah signee Teya Sidberry scored 27 points with 10 rebounds to lead Judge Memorial to a comeback win over Richfield in the 3A girls basketball state championship game and complete an undefeated, 26-0 season for the Bulldogs.

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