Pleasant Grove boys and girls took a page out of Queen's "We Will Rock You" as each defeated Pittsburg and remained unbeaten in District 14-4A action Friday night.
The Hawks' 58-47 win, which was decided in the fourth quarter, was the district opener for both teams. The Lady Hawks, who won 70-47, improve to 3-0 in district.
Boys
It came down to the fourth quarter.
The two teams, who battled on even keel through three quarters, entered the final stanza tied at 43-all.
Cory Jones, who sat out much in the second quarter because of foul trouble, delivered seven points in the fourth quarter to lead Pleasant Grove.
The Hawks' Connor Ouellette took over in the second and third quarters as he hit for nine and 13 points, respectively.
Ouellette gave PG a boost when he hit two huge threes to start the third quarter and finished with a game-high 24 points.
Pittsburg got on an 8-0 spurt when Deldrie Shields hit on 4 of 4 shots, including three layups and a jump shot.
Xavier Benson, who had 14 points, kept the Hawks in the game with seven, first-quarter points. The Pirates clung to a 12-10 lead after one.
Ouellette poured in nine points in the second quarter, and the Hawks went into the locker room down by two.
Six different players scored for the Pirates in the third quarter, including six points by Shield. But the Hawks' Ouellette was on fire and fired in 13 to knot the game going into the final act.
Benson hooped in five points for Pleasant Grove to help the Hawks to the victory. The stingy PG defense held Pittsburg to just six points in the fourth quarter.
The Hawks hit on 23 of 46 shots for 50 percent, while the Pirates were 22 of 52 for 42 percent. Pittsburg out-rebounded Pleasant Grove, 27-25, and had fewer turnovers 14-12.
Stephen Austin had a game-high 16 points as PG's junior varsity routed Pittsburg, 75-29.
Terrence Turner helped out with 12 points for the Hawks.
Pleasant Grove (13-6, 1-0) host Paris at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Girls
The Lady Hawks were in the driver's seat the entire game; and they pressed hard on the gas pedal.
One of the keys for Pleasant Grove was starting out well in three quarters. The Hawks began with a 12-0 run to start the second, an 8-0 run to start the third, and a 5-0 spurt at the start of the fourth.
PG's full-court press wrecked havoc on the Pittsburg ball handlers.
"I was pleased with the way we started each quarter," Hawk head coach Jason Boston said. "We refocused and got after it. Defense was the key to everything because it triggered our offense. The girls did a good job in the paint, and we limited them to one shot. The full-court press helped us get turnovers and easy baskets."
Sha'Nequa Henry, who finished with a game-high 22 points, scored 13 in the first for Pleasant Grove, and the Hawks took a 10-point lead after one.
PG was even better in the second quarter, outscoring its opponent 22-10. Madelina Haak hit a putback and then made two shots from the charity stripe to start the 12-0 run.
Henry stole the ball and hit a layup, Monique Walker grabbed a rebound and hit a short shot, and Haak drove the lane and hit a pair of layups for the Hawks.
It was the Henry and Haak show to start the third quarter. Henry clung to a rebound and swished it through and hit a layup after a steal to give PG a 48-22 lead. Haak did the same moments later as she hit a putback and a layup.
Coach Boston played many reserves in the fourth quarter, and the Lady Pirates outscored the Hawks 15-11.
Haak netted 18 points for Pleasant Grove.
The Pirates fell to 9-17 and are 0-3 in district. Sydney Waldrop had a team-high 12 points for Pittsburg, and teammate Star Smith contributed 11.
The Hawks hit on 30 of 66 shots for 45 percent, while Pittsburg hit on just 16 of 58 shots for 27 percent from the field.
The Pirates had more turnovers, 28-19 and were out-rebounded by PG, 38-34.
Pleasant Grove won the junior varsity game, 64-52. Phoebe Robertson and Donteshia Mixon scored 16 points each for the Hawks.
Ally Mathews helped out with 14 points, while teammate Kaylee Kelly added 12.
Avery Cornish had 13 points, but PG's frosh fell to Pittsburg, 34-22.
Pleasant Grove (14-9, 3-0) hosts Paris at 4:30 Tuesday.
Boys
Pittsburg 12 14 17 6 - 49
PG 10 14 19 15 - 58
PITT (49): Young 1 0-0 2, Burns 2 0-0 4, Shields 9 0-1 18, Williams 4 0-0 8, Dowell 4 3-4 11, Jimmerson 0 1-4 1, Hornsby 1 0-0 3, Hill 1 0-0 2, TOTALS 22 4-9 49.
PG (58): Edwards 2 0-0 5, Jones 4 1-2 9, A. Harmon 2 2-4 6, Benson 6 2-4 14, Ouellette 9 4-10 24, TOTALS 23 9-20 58.
3-point goals: PITT-Hornsby. PG-Ouellette 2, Edwards. Team fouls: Pittsburg 19, Pleasant Grove 11. Fouled out: Jimmerson, Dowell.
Girls
Pittsburg 12 10 10 15 - 47
PG 22 22 15 11 - 70
PITT (47): J. Smith 0 0-1 0, S. Smith 4 1-4 11, Burns 3 2-5 8, Thomas 2 0-0 5, Waldrop 4 2-4 12, Bullock 0 1-2 1, Reynolds 1 2-2 5, Swain 1 0-0 2, Duffey 1 1-2 3, TOTALS 16 9-20 47.
PG (70): Hines 3 0-0 8, Pickelman 0 1-2 1, Morris 1 0-0 2, Henry 10 2-3 22, Levingston 3 2-2 8, Cobb 3 0-2 6, Haak 8 2-4 18, Oritola 0 0-1 0, Walker 2 1-2 5, TOTALS 30 8-16 70.
3-point goals: PITT-S. Smith 2, Waldrop 2, Thomas, Reynolds. PG-Hines 2. Team fouls: Pittsburg 18, Pleasant Grove 14.