First plays don’t send a message. Basketball moments aren’t omens. Or do they?

Thirteen seconds into their Class 1A state quarterfinal game against a River View team they had beaten twice already this year — including a 22-point whipping just two weeks ago — the Granger Spartans began to feel themselves
stripped of the very aggressiveness that got them there.

Edward Castro, the Spartans’ SCAC East MVP and offensive sparkplug, cut across the lane for a driving layup. River View’s Matt Smith stood his ground.

Collision. Offensive foul, Castro. It was the first of six such fouls by the Spartans, and each seemed to deflate them a little bit more.

On Thursday, the Panthers stood their ground both offensively and defensively, while the Spartans looked increasingly out of sorts as River View jumped out to an early lead, lost it and finally pulled away for a 67-54 victory.

“The last time we came out flat-footed, and this time we came out swinging first,” said Panthers senior Matt Smith, who scored a team-high 16 points. “We knew they’d be a little overconfident, and we just took it to them.”

Granger (20-5) must now beat Friday Harbor at 2 p.m. today to earn the right to play for a fourth-place trophy on Saturday. River View (20-6) moves into Friday’s 7:30 semifinal against Bellevue Christian or Friday Harbor.

“We were a little more aggressive tonight,” RV coach Roger Sonderland said. “They got in our face (in the Spartans’ lopsided district win), and we weren’t ready for the kind of pressure they put on us. Tonight, we wanted to go smaller and quicker.”

The Panthers started five guards, and all contributed. Kyle Gier scored seven of his 14 points in the first quarter as River View jumped out to a 11-6 lead, then stretched it to 25-11 with Smith sandwiching two 3-pointers around a
trey by Nick Gaston.

Granger, meanwhile, got into foul trouble from the start. Mario Mengarelli, who would lead the Spartans with 21 points, picked up two quick fouls — one a charge — and would ultimately foul out on a player-control foul.

“I don’t know,” Granger coach David Gibbsaid when asked about whether the offensive fouls may have gotten into his players’ heads. “In the back of their mind, maybe they’re wondering whether they’re going to get called for the
next one as well.”

Still, the Spartans recovered and actually took the lead at 32-29 after two 3-pointers by Castro and one by R.J. Solis.

But the Panthers quickly regained the lead, and when Jordon Dallas scored seven points over a two-minute span early in the final period, Granger all but fell apart. And River View stood firm.

“We all wanted another shot at them,” Smith said. “We knew we played a bad game the last time and we all prayed that we’d get another chance.”

One team took advantage. One did not.

“Not the best time,” Gibb sighed, “to play our worst game of the year.”

Granger -- Solis 3-8 2-4 9, Dodd 1-1 0-0 2, A. Cortez 2-7 0-0 5, Mengarelli 9-15 2-4 21, Rodriguez 0-0 0-0 0, E. Castro 4-19 0-0 11, J. Cortez 0-2 2-4 2, Martinez 0-0 0-0 0, Arriaga 0-0 0-0 0, Alegria 1-2 2-2 4, M. Castro 0-3 0-1 0, Lopez 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 20-57 8-15 54.
River View -- Gaston 1-4 5-7 8, Gier 5-8 2-3 14, Davis 5-9 2-4 12, Sickler 0-0 1-2 1, Smith 4-12 6-8 16, Dallas 4-10 2-4 10, Dickinson 0-2 0-3 0, Woods 0-1 1-2 1, Ledgerwood 2-2 1-1 5, Hart 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 21-48 20-34 67.
Granger	6	15	19	14	--	54
River View	11	16	17	23	--	67
3-point goals--G 6-27 (E. Castro 3-14, Mengarelli 1-3, Solis 1-4, A. Cortez 1-5, M. Castro 0-1), RV 5-16 (Gier 2-3, Smith 2-6, Gaston 1-2, Davis 0-2, Dallas 0-3). Rebounds--G 38 (Alegria 8, A. Cortez 8), RV 36 (Smith 9). Assists--G 5 (Mengarelli 2, E. Castro 2), RV 5 (Davis 2). Steals--G 6 (Mengarelli 2, E. Castro 2), RV 2. Blocked shots--G 2, RV 1. Fouled out--A. Cortez, Mengarelli, J. Cortez, Ledgerwood. Total fouls--G 29, RV 17. Technical fouls--None. Turnovers--G 16, RV 14.