The #4 seeded Tri-Valley Mustang boys hosted the #5 seeded Garretson Blue Dragons in the opening round of the Region 3A tournament on Tuesday, March 2nd. The Mustang offense couldn’t get the shots to fall, and Garretson took the 53-46 upset win.
The Blue Dragons started hot by hitting their first three-point shots of the game. They were able to build a lead in the first quarter they wouldn’t lose even though Tri-Valley rallied late in the game.
Garretson had the 13-12 advantage after the first quarter. Neither team was able to make a field goal in the first four minutes of the second quarter, but once the offenses started rolling, the Blue Dragons took a 23-21 lead into halftime.
Tri-Valley continued to struggle on the offensive end in the second half. Garretson went to the free-throw line 23 times in the second half and used that to build a 40-33 lead heading into the fourth quarter. After a made three-pointer to open the fourth, the Blue Dragons had a game-high 10-point lead with 7:00 to go. The Mustangs rallied and went on a 10-1 run to cut the lead to 44-43 with 2:03 on the clock. Garretson responded with a 9-0 run, most of which from the free-throw line, to push the lead back to 10 points with :21 to go before a late Nick Hass three-pointer ended the game.
The Mustangs shot just 29% (14-48) from the field, 31% (8-26) from three-point area, and 56% (10-18) from the free-throw line. Garretson finished 34% (14-41) from the field, 33% (5-15) from three-point area, but 71% (20-28) from the free-throw line.
Riley Haynes had 19 points, seven rebound, and two steals to lead Tri-Valley. Hass finished with 12 points, six rebounds, six assists, and two steals. Tyler Johnson had seven points, and Bryce Kienast had four points and five rebounds.
Tri-Valley’s season comes to an end with an overall record of 10-11.