ARIMO - Richard Bitton walked out of the Marsh Valley home locker room hoping his parents had captured the ending of the Eagles' 51-50 win over Snake River on Friday.

"It was pretty amazing," said Bitton, Marsh Valley's senior center.

To say the least.

Bitton hit his first 3-pointer of the season as the buzzer sounded to cap the most improbable of fourth-quarter comebacks, as well as help the Eagles capture the 3A Fifth District regular-season title and top seed in the upcoming district tournament.

The Panthers led by as many as 14 points in the second half but missed a series of crucial free throws after the Eagles started sending them to the foul line midway through the fourth.

It didn't help that Panthers point guard Randy Resendiz suffered such a beating during that span that he began bleeding at several spots on his face, and Snake River had to substitute him out of two trips to the line.

The Panthers hit 14-of-21 free throws in the fourth quarter, and those seven misses turned out to be one too many.

"We had our chance to put it away," Snake River coach Robert Coombs said. "We lost the game from the foul line. We had those foul shots. If we had hit them, we would have never put ourselves in that situation."

But they were. The series of misses left the Panthers (12-8, 4-2) with a 50-48 lead with 9.3 seconds remaining. The Eagles (14-6, 5-1) had to carry the ball the full length of the court, which didn't leave them with much time to set up a play.

Landon Fonnesbeck, who hit two of Marsh Valley's five treys in the final period and finished with 11 points, appeared to look for a shot, but the Panthers collapsed on him. Fonnesbeck then dished the ball to an open Bitton, who drained a long trey from the left wing as time expired. That set off a raucous celebration, with the student section streaming to the court to mob the Eagles after their first regular-season title in coach Jason Brower's four-year tenure.

"It feels amazing," said Bitton, who finished with 11 points. "Snake's been on top every year until now. It's our chance to dominate. It feels good."

The mood was much more subdued in the away locker room after the game.

Snake River looked to be in good shape holding a 36-23 advantage heading into the fourth. The Panthers had built that cushion thanks to some inspiring play by senior post Devin Cook.

Cook, who scored a game-high 16 points, buried four treys in the second quarter alone. He also blocked six shots.

But Marsh Valley steadily chipped into the lead by draining one trey after another and extending the game by sending the Panthers to the line earlier than normal.

As a result of the extremely physical play that ensued, Resendiz suffered a bloody nose and later suffered a cut on the bridge of his nose. That second time, he wobbled to the sideline before collapsing and smacking his palm on the court several times in anger. A heated argument broke out between the two coaching staffs as Snake River's coaches tended to Resendiz.

Because of the bleeding, Resendiz had to miss two trips to the line, and his replacements combined to hit just one of the four attempts.

After changing out of his blood-stained No. 3 jersey for the final minutes, Resendiz had a chance to silence the Marsh Valley crowd with two free-throw attempts with 9.3 seconds left. He hit just one, though, setting up Bitton's heroics on the other end of the floor.

"I felt like I let my team down when I couldn't shoot the free throws," a red-eyed Resendiz said. "I wish I could have been out there to take those free throws."

With the way the two teams have played each other this season, a rematch is a distinct possibility. Marsh Valley enters the district tournament buoyed by earning a home-and-home split against Snake River and by the belief that no deficit is too large for the spirited, senior-laden squad to overcome.

Said Brower: "Hopefully, it can carry us through the tournament and give us the confidence that we can win it."

Marsh Valley 51, Snake River 50

Snake River 9 15 12 14 - 50

Marsh Valley 11 5 7 28 - 51

Snake River: Marcus Hawker 3 4-5 12, Randy Resendiz 1 6-9 8, Jordan Watt 3 4-4 11, Devin Cook 4 4-6 16, James Harrington 0 1-3 1, McKay Harper 0 1-2 1.

Marsh Valley: Jake Sorensen 2 0-0 2, Kory Kay 2 8-10 10, Richard Bitton 5 0-2 11, Nathan Gambles 1 0-0 3, Landon Fonnesbeck 4 0-0 11, Forrest Barron 1 0-0 2, Dallen Bills 3 2-7 8, Chance Day 1 0-0 3.