PV boys hold on to rollercoaster win

Posted by Sunnie R. Clahchischiligi | Nov 30, 2017 | Basketball |

Special to the Times | Ray Landry
Grants’ Kevin Siera (30) goes up for a shot during Tuesday’s game against Piedra Vista.

The Piedra Vista High School boys’ basketball team learned a valuable lesson this week: They have to play to win instead of trying not to lose.

The Panthers defeated Grants High School 71-60 after losing a more comfortable lead in the fourth quarter. Piedra Vista lost a 21-point lead in the fourth quarter and nearly escaped the Pirates.

Piedra Vista head coach Devon Manning said his team was focused on the wrong thing in the final quarter.

“They were trying not to lose the game instead of going out and winning; there’s a big different between the two … Our decision-making is what killed us in that fourth quarter,” he said. “We just somehow eked it out.”

Piedra Vista had a strong start in the game, leading 16-2 with less than two minutes in the first quarter.

They forced turnovers on Grants and found ways to get to the free throw line. The Panthers led 18-6 after the first quarter.

Manning said after watching Grants defeat Farmington the week before, the team made sure to prepare well.

“We knew they were going to be tough,” he said. “We knew they liked to shoot threes. They hit 12 threes against Farmington, and they only hit one tonight.”