Ogden • Kayla Eilertson was looking for anyone who was open, anyone who could take the last shot but her. That’s when she saw the clock: Two seconds left.

The Bonneville sophomore took the shot — if that’s what you want to a call it. It was an awkward, hurried, side-armed hurl from beyond the 3-point arc. And miraculously, inexplicably, it was perfect.

"I don’t know what that was," teammate McKinlee Westmoreland said. "Who cares?"

The buzzer-beater capped a brilliant 48-45 win over Mountain Crest (8-6), the Lakers’ top competition for the Region 5 title. For most of the game, Bonneville (12-3) flustered the Mustangs with a slow game pace and zone defenses to close in on their inside scorers. The Lakers just needed a little luck to close out.

And boy did they know it.

Eilertson was supposed to take the final shot with the game tied and the clock ticking down, just not from that far out. Coach Mike Russell said Eilertson started her move too early, and found herself at the top of the key. There wasn’t much more for the 6-foot-2 guard to do but try to finish.

"I was telling her to find [Cortney] Porter, but then it was too late," Russell said. "But I’m happy that we played for three quarters and did find a way to win."

The key was how Bonneville got itself in that position. With ball motion on offense that got them inside shots, the Lakers initially took the lead in the first quarter and held on for most of the game. Mountain Crest’s Karlee Kartchner tore apart the interior for eight points in the first quarter, so the Lakers switched to a 1-3-1 zone to neutralize her post moves.

The Mustangs did get hot at the beginning of the second quarter, knocking down 3-pointers that forced Bonneville to switch defensive schemes again. At one time, Mountain Crest led 30-27 before Porter helped lead a run — including her own 3-point buzzer-beater — to retake the lead before the fourth quarter.

Things got hairy in the final minutes for the Lakers as offensive stalwart Emilie Volk fouled out in a game that was officiated fairly tightly. Kartchner still muscled her way to 20 points, and Katie Wallentine and Emily Moore made some late shots to tie up the game.

If not for Eilertson’s desperate late attempt, it could have been a different story in overtime. The Mustangs will wait for the next chapter, to take place in their own gym.

"Bonneville planned well and did what they had to do," coach Candace Thornton said. "I’m super proud of our defense. But that wasn’t a shot at the end — that was luck."

kgoon@sltrib.com

Twitter: @kylegoon