• Photo Showcase: Papillion-La Vista vs. Millard North

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The last of Trey Moore’s seven 3-pointers Friday night was the biggest reason Papillion-La Vista was the first team to beat Millard North in a close game this season.

With 17 seconds remaining, Moore’s 3-pointer from the top of the key — with a Millard North defender in his way — allowed the Monarchs to escape with a 49-48 Metro Conference boys basketball victory over the host Mustangs.

Before Friday, the Mustangs (12-5) were 5-0 in games decided by five points or less.

“We knew coming in here that they were 12-4 for a reason,” Papillion coach Jason Ryan said. “We’re excited to come out of here with a victory. We knew it was going to be a war.”

In close battles, Ryan is happy to have a sharpshooter like Moore. Not only did his final three points allow the third-ranked Monarchs to improve to 15-2, but Moore helped spark a second-quarter run that kept Papio in front until the fourth quarter.

It took the Monarchs less than three minutes to turn a 13-11 deficit at the end of the first quarter into a seven-point lead. A pair of 3s by Moore and a 3-pointer and a layup by Spencer Lewis sparked a 10-2 Papio spurt that eventually gave the Monarchs a 27-20 halftime lead.

“They made some 3s in the first half and we didn’t,” Mustangs coach Chip Bahe said. “We got to the rim when we made our run. This game was simply good players making plays.”

After the break, the ninth-ranked Mustangs changed the tempo of the game with an intense defensive effort while attacking the basket on offense. Millard North worked its way back within 32-30 on a 3 by Ryan Cox.

In a stretch of 2:51 in the middle of the third quarter, the two teams combined for nine fouls. All of those calls led to a more deliberate pace in the fourth quarter that eventually allowed Millard North to regain the lead.

John Silva put Millard North on top 42-40 when he tipped in a missed shot by Josiah Gustafson, who led the Mustangs with 15 points. After a pair of free throws and another 3-pointer by Moore, Silva tied the game at 45 when he put back his shot that was blocked.

A layup by Ty Bergmeier put Millard North ahead 48-46 before Moore hit the game-winner.

The Mustangs raced down the court, but a shot by Gustafson missed and eventually was knocked out of bounds by the Monarchs with 0.8 seconds to play.

The Mustangs had a good look on the last play, but Zane Stull had to rush his 3-point attempt from the left baseline and the ball sailed a few inches too long.

“We ran a play that had a handful of options,” Bahe said. “Both teams played well and made some big shots, but unfortunately they made the last big shot.”

Papillion-La Vista (15-2) ............. 11 16 11 11—49

At Millard North (12-5) ............ 13 7 14 14—48

PLV: Spencer Lewis 8, Bryce Sheard 4, Matt Safranek 4, Trey Moore 26, Evan Drake 1, Brett Dougherty 2, Chang Dum 2, Tyler Dougherty 2.

MN: Nick Roth 3, Zane Stull 3, Ryan Cox 8, Josiah Gustafson 15, Ty Bergmeier 7, John Silva 12.

Contact the writer:

402-618-4113, alexsdad@mail.com

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