By Kyle Goon

| The Salt Lake Tribune

Sandy • Something happened when Mark Krueger’s first free throw rattled out seconds before the end of regulation.

Instead of slumping his shoulders, the Jordan center was suddenly filled with confidence.

At a glance

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Highlights

Mark Krueger ties for a team-high 14 points, including four out of Jordan’s five overtime points.

» Ryan Nemelka adds 14 points, and Taylor Loomis scores 13.

» Brandon Miller scores a game-high 23 points, including a 35-foot buzzer-beater at the end of the third quarter.

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He sank his second shot to tie up Brighton, 60-60, and send the game into overtime. And the next four minutes would be some of the best basketball he’s ever played.

"The butterflies were gone," Krueger said. "I knew I had to get that second one. I thought I could do more."

The senior did just about all he could to help the Beetdiggers (9-3) earn a 65-63 overtime win over the Bengals (8-4). He scored four out of his team’s five points in overtime, then took a charge from Brighton star Brandon Miller that helped seal up one of the program’s most exciting wins in the last few seasons and open up Region 3 play with a victory.

Krueger was bombarded after the game by his fellow students, who crowded the court and jumped into his mammoth arms. He was a bit overwhelmed by what he was feeling as well.

"It’s a great win for us — you can see how excited everyone is," he said. "It was just heart and energy that carried us."

There were plenty of chances for Jordan to quit — most of all when it was looking up at a 55-45 deficit. The Bengals’ Brandon Miller had been doing damage from the foul line all game, and Travis Devashrayee came alive with 7 straight points to lead a 10-2 run.

"When we took a timeout, the Brighton fans started chanting, ‘I believe that we have won,’" coach Rob Geertsen said. "And I just thought, ‘That is so premature.’"

It was — the Beetdiggers quickly turned around a 13-0 run. Both Krueger and Austin Haney converted three-point plays on fouled shots on the crucial swing. Miller still had a few more heroics, hitting a long 3-pointer, but he missed the front end of a one-in-one to squander a chance to extend Brighton’s lead.

Miller finished with a game-high 23 points, and Devashrayee added 18. But Jordan had a more all-around balanced scoring effort. Both Krueger and Ryan Nemelka finished with 14, and Taylor Loomis added 14. Eight Beetdiggers scored in the regulation compared to four Bengals.

kgoon@sltrib.comTwitter: @kylegoon