WEST JORDAN — Sharee Hendrix seemed to be on fire in the first quarter of the game that saw her Rams steamrollering the Jaguars. She was scoring, she was stealing and she was rebounding.
Then she was whistled for her third foul in the first six minutes. Her coach pulled her out of the game, and surprisingly, she wasn't disappointed.
"I think the rest for me was really good," Hendrix said after Highland defeated West Jordan 45-23. "I wasn't tired, but I needed to re-focus. I came out not really focused, and I needed to do little things to help my team."
She said she wasn't having major problems with her play, but she felt she needed to "move my feet on defense and fight through screens better. Things like that."
Hendrix scored 14 points in the team's victory, while teammate Melissa Dennett had 16. The two played volleyball together at the beginning of the year and helped their team to the state championship game. They wouldn't mind making it to that same game in basketball.
"I think about it," Hendrix said. "But right now I'm playing game by game. We still have a lot of work to do. Every team is good and has someone who can step it up for them."
Her coach, Robyn Bemis, echoes the forward's sentiments.
"We're still learning a lot," she said. "The girls have mentally grown, and the younger girls have gained some confidence (over last year). . . . I think we're going to do fine if we take one game at a time."
One of those "younger" girls who has found herself leading the team this year is point guard Lindsay Orchard. She started in the same position as a freshman but lacked the experience to command her teammates' respect. This year she has that and more.
"I think this was her best game since last spring," Bemis said of Orchard, who had four points. "It's made a huge difference to have Lindsay come out with confidence and make things happen. Her vision on the court is so incredible, and the girls really believe in her."
Orchard agreed that she's feeling more secure in her role, "We ran our offense better, got better penetration and played good defense. . . . I'm older, more experienced, and I think we have a lot of talented players, and we really work well together."
She said she and her teammates got a little anxious near the game's end and ended up having as many turnovers as the Jaguars, with 22.
"We started to play lazier," she said.
Bemis hopes her team is one of the squads competing for the championship in February, but she rarely looks that far ahead.
"If we keep taking care of each other," she said, "we'll be there. Each game we move forward."
In other basketball action:
Girls' games
REGION 14
DUGWAY 62, WASATCH ACADEMY 25: Dugway's Megan Rose and Kerri Phillips combined for 36 points as the Mustangs ousted Wasatch Academy.
NONREGION
MORGAN 58, SOUTH SUMMIT 44: Veva Whitear led the Trojans in their win over South Summit with 15 points. Ashley Simpson led the scoring for South Summit with 18 points.
JUAB 49, PAROWAN 45: Juab exploded for 23 points in the third quarter to get the win.
MOUNTAIN VIEW 67, COPPER HILLS 30: Danielle Cheesman and Brittany Tressler led defensively with 11 rebounds in the Bruins' win over the Grizzlies. Cheesman also had 23 points.
CLEARFIELD 52, BRIGHTON 40: Clearfield jumped out to a 9-0 lead and stayed ahead. Jennie Overdiek led with 19.
PANGUITCH 80, MILFORD 33: Camille Christensen scored 20 points as the Bobcats destroyed the Tigers.
JUDGE MEMORIAL 47, BEAR RIVER 40: Judge's Rose Hamilton had 21 points and seven boards as the Bulldogs downed Bear River.
DUCHESNE 55, TOOELE 51: Jolynn Ivie led Duchesne in their win with 16 points. The White Buffalo were led offensively by Becky Miner, who had 13 points.
PINE VIEW 60, ENTERPRISE 56: Pine View's Shauntell Garrett netted 18 points as the Panthers edged Enterprise in double overtime.
ESCALANTE 39, BRYCE VALLEY 24: Ashley Bodily led Escalante in their victory with 13 points.
ST. JOSEPH 78, WENDOVER 27: Amanda Chavez scored 12 points as the Jayhawks whipped the Wildcats. St. Joseph had 22 assists.
NORTH SUMMIT 37, ALTAMONT 34: North Summit's Malarie Richins and Erin Wilson combined for 26 points as the Braves edged Altamont.
TIMPVIEW 57, OREM 43: The Thunderbirds used a full-court press to shut down the Tigers and win on the road.
GRANITE 54, GRANTSVILLE 51: Ashley Bancroft led Granite with 20 points in their nail-biting win over the Cowboys.
WASATCH 45, NORTH SANPETE 38: Wasatch's Shalee Fackrell and Liz Turner combined for 28 points as the Wasps topped North Sanpete.
PLEASANT GROVE 56, MOUNTAIN CREST 45: C.C. Francom led the Vikings with 17 points in the win over Mountain Crest.
BINGHAM 46, SKYLINE 35: Bingham's Angela McIver netted 11 points as the Miners edged Skyline. Jenny Jensen led the Eagles with 12 points.
ROWLAND HALL 55, MT. VERNON 41: Rowland Hall's Megan Andrews and Makiko Kasahara combined for 26 points as the Winged Lions downed Mt. Vernon.
TIMPANOGOS 55, SPRINGVILLE 40: Aubrey Van Pelt scored 15 points as the Timberwolves routed the Red Devils to stay unbeaten.
BEAVER 80, RICHFIELD 42: Beaver's Nicole Gillins and Candace Barton combined for 41 points as the Beavers crushed Richfield. Teammate Chelsea Eyre added 11 points and 11 boards.
OLYMPUS 50, NORTHRIDGE 36:Holly Wride's 16 points propelled the Titans to their first win of the season at the Northridge Tournament.
LOGAN 61, WOODS CROSS 45: Solid defense and 16 points by Molly Hillyard helped the Grizzlies to a victory at the Northridge Tournament.
MORGAN 58, SOUTH SUMMIT 44: Veva Whitear scored 15 points as the Trojans topped the Wildcats. Ashley Simpson led South Summit with 18 points.
TAYLORSVILLE 62, COTTONWOOD 46: Taylorsville's Chelsea Robinson stung Cottonwood with 26 points as the Warriors downed Cottonwood.
DIXIE 41, CYPRUS 37: Chasi Winningham scored 11 points as the Flyers pulled away from the Pirates in the third quarter.
LONE PEAK 40, ALTA 26: Lone Peak's Candace Mattson netted 13 points as the Knights topped Alta.
RICH 69, WATERFORD 15: Danelle Peart scored 20 points as the Rebels ripped the Ravens.
Boys' games
NONREGION
PINE VIEW 74, EMERY 49: Andy Palmer scored 13 to lead undefeated Pine View to its fourth win.
VIEWMONT 68, KEARNS 47: Jason Palmer scored 23 points and grabbed 10 rebounds as the Vikings earned their first win.
SNOW CANYON 44, PAGE, Ariz. 42: Josh Hurst nailed a jumper with three seconds left to give the Warriors an overtime victory over the Sand Devils. Nick Hammer scored seven points and grabbed 10 rebounds for Snow Canyon, and Jeff Barben dished seven assists.
BATTLE MOUNTAIN, Colo. 50, GRAND 45: A five-point fourth quarter doomed the Red Devils against Battle Mountain, Colo. James Bane hit three three-pointers and scored 15 points to lead Grand.
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