Pleasant Grove’s Tamya Smith was the focal point of the Spartans’ offensive and defensive attack Monday night in their Class 5A subregional game.

She made certain to call her own number to power her team past a fellow top-5 opponent to open the AHSAA playoffs.

“Nobody can guard me,” Smith said. “That’s in my head every time. I’m about to score this bucket, no matter what. That was running through my head.”

The fourth-ranked Spartans rallied in the final frame as Smith hit the game-winner with seconds remaining for a 40-38 victory over No. 5 Ramsay.

Pleasant Grove (25-6) shot out to a 9-5 lead in the first period, but the Rams responded with a 9-3 run to tie the game at 16-all heading into the halftime break. Ramsay took control in the third period, building a 29-25 lead at the end of the frame.

The Spartans opened the final frame on a 10-0 run, holding Ramsay without a field goal for 5:14, and retook a 35-29 lead midway through the period. The Rams managed to tie the game three separate times in the final two minutes, but Smith’s shot with 10 seconds left allowed Pleasant Grove’s tenacious defense to force a desperate last-second shot.

Star of the Game: Smith. The junior finished with a game-high 21 points, adding 5 rebounds, and scored the game-winning bucket with 10 seconds remaining in the game.

“It took a lot, I’m not going to lie. We worked through it together. I can’t say much, we pushed through and believed in it,” she said.

Stat sheet: Pleasant Grove – Ashaunte Monday finished with 10 points and 4 rebounds, followed by Keyarria Stokes with 5 points and 4 rebounds. Skylar Lassiter contributed 4 points and 2 boards. Ramsay – Tenae Jemison led the Rams with 11 points, followed by Kennedi Wagner with 10 points. Nyla Gooden had 7 points and Wesley had 4 points. Breonna Williams, Keleiloa Thomas and Diana Lewis all scored 2 points each.

Coachspeak: “Really big game. Very competitive and hard fought. I hate to see anyone lose this type of game but glad we came out on top. It definitely helps us going forward. Ramsay is one of the top teams in 5A so it helps us prepare for the next opponent.” — Pleasant Grove’s Walter Hicks

“I’m proud of my kids for fighting. Came on the road, that’s what happens when you lose that second game in the area, so it was to be expected. We knew we were playing against a tough Pleasant Grove team, and we fought the whole time. That’s all I wanted.” — Ramsay’s JoVanka Ward

What’s next? Pleasant Grove advances to the Class 5A northeast regional semifinals at Wallace State’s Tom Drake Coliseum.