Top 10 6A foes and neighborhood rivals #9 Mesa and #10 Mountain View engaged in another down-to-the-wire battle on Tuesday night. By down-to-the-wire the decisive points went down with one-half second to go.

Mountain View's Nate Bogle sank two free throws - the last of his 18 points for the game - with that speck of time left, completing a second-half comeback and giving Mountain View a 53-52 triumph over Mesa at Jackrabbit Gym. 

The victory clinched the East Valley Region crown for Mountain View and new head coach Andy Johnson. The Toros (16-10 overall) have swept through region play with a 9-0 mark with one game left. That game is home Friday against Red Mountain. Mesa (18-6, 6-2) was the only team with a shot at tying or passing Mountain View for region supremacy in this the final week of the regular season. The Jackrabbits have two region games games left. They host Westwood on Thursday and finish Friday at Skyline.

Mesa was focused on denying Mountain View a clinching region win at the outset. The Jackrabbits used a strong first quarter (22-17 lead) and a 36-30 advantage at halftime. Senior guard Parker Escalante paced Mesa scoring 15 of his game-high 22 points in the first half. Mountain View didn't allow the deficit to grow, instead surging to a 47-45 lead to start the fourth quarter. Mountain View's Brigg Wolfe keyed the surge with 13 of his 18 points (8 of 8 free throws) in the middle quarters.

The final period was not an offensive showcase. Both teams struggled shooting. Escalante tied the score at 47 with two free throws at the 7:24 mark. It took almost two minutes for the next points - a layup by Mountain View's Jackson Bowers off an assist from Wolfe.

The game's final tie at 49 occurred with 3:56 left. Escalante drove for two and was fouled. He missed the free throw keeping the score tied. Turnovers and missed shots by both teams were finally interrupted by a Toros layup by Jay Tingey with 2:03 left. Mesa's last lead came with 1:44 left on a three by senior guard Kota Benson. Benson, who averages 15 points a game, totaled just six points. Both were threes with the other in the first quarter.