The Deer Valley Skyhawks broke the hearts of the Mesquite Wildcats on the road in the 4A state semifinals again.

Last year, a Travis Vasquez buzzer beater sent Deer Valley to the 4A final.

On Monday, it was Sergio Gonzales’s turn to be the hero. The sophomore guard had the fourth quarter of his life, scoring his team’s final 11 points to help upend Mesquite 51-48 in their thrilling 4A semi.

“No, sir,” said the Gonzales when asked if there was any doubt heading into the fourth. “If you read my lips coming out of the fourth quarter, when we were down seven, I was telling my team that we are going to come back and we’re going to win.”

Deer Valley entered the fourth quarter trailing 41-34.

But Deer Valley senior Teddy Johnson opened the fourth with a corner three and A.J. Ajawin converted a three-point play four possessions later to help close the gap. Then Gonzales took center stage.

It started in spectacular fashion, with a four-point play with 2:41 remaining to tie the game at 46-46.

He followed that by converting a shot in the lane as he was falling down to tie it again, this time at 48-48. With Deer Valley clinging to a 49-48 lead, Gonzales, went to work again right after a full timeout with 24.9 remaining.

The lefty went to his left and converted a mid-range jumper near the free throw line that rattled in.

Mesquite’s final shot missed the mark, allowing Deer Valley to advance to its fifth state title appearance.

“We beat a really good team,” Deer Valley coach Jed Dunn said. “We have so much respect for them. Just like last year, I felt bad for them. We’re down seven going into the fourth, but we didn’t put our heads down.”

According to Chris Harris, the play-by-play announcer for the Mesquite-Deer Valley game on the NFHS Network, Dunn was scheduled for a root canal Monday before the game. But Dunn skipped the appointment.

The sweet taste of victory came first.