Using big runs in the first and second halves and a tenacious defense, Beaver capped its season-long No. 1 ranking by defeating Millard 52-35 for the 2A state girls basketball championship Saturday at the Dixie Center.
Makenzie Gillins and Sunny Myers led a balanced offensive attack for Beaver with 17 and 13 points respectively, with eight of Myers' points coming during a first-quarter run that gave Beaver a lead it would never give up.The win gave Beaver a 23-1 record and a succesful defense of the state title it won last year, something both Myers and head coach Bryan Wood said was harder to do than winning the first one.
"We felt there was a lot of pressure on us from our fans and the townspeople," said Myers. "This one is better for me because I'm a senior and because of the way we played as a team."
"People expected us to win all year," added Wood, saying his team's defense carried it through the tournament. "I'm proud of how we handled the pressure all year long."
The pressure looked like it might get to the Beavers early on against a taller Millard squad. The Eagles took a five point lead before Beaver could finally get on the board with nearly four minutes gone in the first quarter.
With the score tied at 7-7, Myers' eight-point spurt started a 15-0 run that gave Beaver a 22-7 advantage with three minutes left in the first half.
Millard cut the lead to 26-19 at halfime with an 8-0 run in the final two minutes. Six points came on free throws after the Beavers were called for three consecutive moving screen violations on the offensive end.
"We went into the locker room and felt a little down like we had lost some momentum," Wood said. "I told them it was 0-0 and we've got two quarters so let's take it to them."
The Beavers did just that, scoring the first four points of the third quarter and then holding the Eagles scoreless for an eight-minute stretch. A 13-0 run during that time gave Beaver a 47-26 lead that effectively sealed the game and clinched the title for the Beavers.
"They are just a better team than we are," Millard head coach Stu Bailey said. "We didn't get scoring like we usually do from the wing . . . and their guards did a good job against us."
Center Cynthia Olson scored 10 points to lead the Eagles, while Kristen Marchant also netted 10 for Beaver.
In other tournament action:
Third-place game
San Juan 67, South Summit 58
Alycia Adams hit 13 of 14 free-throw attempts in the final quarter to help the Broncos hold off the Wildcats. Adams tallied 21 points, while teammate Amber Halls led all scorers with 24 points for San Juan. Tanya Woolstenhulme paced fourth-place South Summit with 13.
Fifth-place game
Morgan 39, Juab 30
The Trojans blew a big halftime lead but held on to defeat the Wasps and claim fifth place. Amber Manning and Emily Phillips combined for 21 points for Morgan, while Kellie Greenhalgh had nine for sixth-place Juab.