Miraculous comebacks!

SPORTS SHORTS
by Scott Boyle
Don’t we all love wins at the buzzer with miraculous comebacks?  It’s a constant of most of our young boy and girl play, isn’t it?  To win one at the buzzer after a huge comeback, Disney movieish style? 
The only problem is it doesn’t happen that often, at least for the teams for which we play or cheer, except for in the movies.  Remember the Patriots just last week, you Seahawk fans? 
Incredibly, Monticello High School did it twice in one week, just last week.
First, the girls basketball team did a Disney on the Lady Raiders of Whitehorse. 
Trailing throughout a tight game to the second place Lady Raiders, the Lady Buckaroos snatched victory from defeat when they trailed by three with only 10 seconds left in the entertaining game. 
But then, newcomer Izabel Slade knocked down a shot with 10 seconds left. 
In the ensuing last second chaos, Michaela Wolford stole a Lady Raider pass at midcourt, found a streaking Mary Beh with a bullet pass, and Beh marvelously made the layup with just one second on the clock to give the Lady Bucks the thrilling come-from-behind 42-41 win. 
Just last month, the Bucks also beat Whitehorse in similar fashion, trailing by four with just under a minute left in the game, only to hit some foul shots and score six points in the last minute to win it. 
This time, the Lady Buckaroos played without leading scorer Atlanta Black, who sat out her second game with a concussion. 
Beh played an outstanding game, scoring 16 points including hitting the game-winning basket. 
Slade, in her first action of the year, came off the bench to score 14 points.  Allie Maughan and Kari Schmidt each scored six.
On Saturday, at the Region 19/20 Wrestling Championships held in Monticello, the boys pulled off an epic comeback and a walk-off pin to win their ninth straight Divisional Wrestling Championship with 160.5 points to 160 for Panguitch. 
The Bobcats were looking to end the Buckaroos dominance in the Divisionals, leading throughout the tournament, and leading by 30 points going into the last round. With four wrestlers in the finals, it looked like a cinch.  Monticello had a slight chance with six finalists. 
But with a little help from some friends, the Buckaroo grapplers grappled back.  First, Milford upset the number-one seed from Panguitch in the 106 pound bracket. 
Then the Bucks ripped off three straight individual championships in freshman Brayson Wilcox (33-8) at 113 over Kehl Bradbury of Wayne, 4-0. Sophomore Shandon Bradford (33-8) at 120 beat his Panguitch opponent, 40-3 Kolton Owens, in a dramatic match, 3-2. Then freshman Zac Musselman, (46-2) at 126, got a crucial pin in his match at 4:39 of the third period. 
So far, so good, with three Monticello wins, and two Panguitch losses.
Brandon Musselman, at 145, won his weight for the fourth time at Region with a dominating technical fall, 18-3 over a Piute opponent. Then Cole Eldredge, at 152,  got another late pin at 4:51 over his Piute opponent. 
It was then Wayne’s turn to help the Buckaroos, as they won three finals in a row, with two of them crucial wins over the last two Panguitch finalists. 
That set the stage for the Buckaroo’s final finalist, sophomore Parker Knudsen at 285.  But, it wasn’t enough for Knudsen just to win.  For the Bucks to pass the Bobcats, Knudsen had to pin his opponent. 
Knudsen fell behind early, trailing 2-1 to his Diamond Ranch opponent, Sam Nipp, but he recovered and early in the second period, as his Buckaroo teammates prepared to storm the mat, Knudsen rolled Nipp over and pinned his shoulders to the mat. The Buckaroo fans roared their approval and Knudsen was mobbed by teammates and coaches. 
Its nice when it happens, so let us savor.
The only other time the gym was so loud was when Payton “Max” Johnson, a well-known wrestler from Bryce Valley, pinned Buckaroo Tacovi Warren in an exhibition match. 
Max, who has Down’s Syndrome, has wrestled exhibitionally for four years at BV High. He achieved fame last year when he got to wrestle at the state tournament. 
This was to be his last match with the uniform of the mighty Mustangs and he went out with a bang, pinning a true Buckaroo, Tacovi Warren, in the first period, bringing smiles, happiness, warm feelings and tears to most, if not all, in attendance. 
See you next week at the state wrestles at UVU!!
More Basketball
The Lady Bucks’ winning streak was stopped Saturday by the Lady Eagles of Duchesne, who blasted the Bucks, 58-28. 
The Ladies fell behind 26-8 at halftime, still playing without leading scorer Atlanta Black, and could never get closer. 
Mary Beh had 11 to lead the Bucks.  Allie Maughan had six and Michaela Wolford five.
The boys made it nine in a row and 6-0 in Region 19 with an easy win over the Raiders Friday in Montezuma Creek.   The Bucks are 12-4 on the season and rank fourth in 1A.