In some games, a single great athlete can carry a team.
But as the competition intensifies, that becomes more difficult. Even the most breathtaking heroics can't happen without the help of teammates.
It's the perfect pick, the well-timed pass or the help boxing out that give those gifted athletes the opportunities to shine. This year's Deseret Morning News Most Valuable Players didn't just take advantage of perfect opportunities, their leadership elevated the play of those around them. Hard-working and self-effacing, this year's MVPs aren't just gifted athletes, they're great teammates.
5A MVP: Megan Marks, Bingham
This senior loved getting in the game as much as the next player. But some of her favorite moments, she said, have been spent on the sideline cheering for her younger teammates.
"I wouldn't want it any other way," said the BYU-bound forward. "If everybody scores eight to 10 points, no other team can stop us."
And no other team came close in the tournament, where Bingham's closest game was a quarterfinal win over Layton by 13 points.
Coach Rand Rasmussen prides himself on not relying on one player for points or rebounds. He subbed liberally, and his starters averaged around 19 or 20 minutes per game.
But make no mistake about it, he said. Marks is one of the best players in any classification, not only because she can score, rebound and pass like a point guard, but because she is the consummate team player.
"Marks is the glue to this team," Rasmussen said after the 5A championship. "We wouldn't be here without her."
Assistant coach Kelly Harris said Marks' leadership is the kind you can't quantify.
"Her leadership on and off the court, there is no substitution for that," he said.
She averaged 9.4 points and 2.2 blocks per game. She was a two-year captain and is an honor student who also participated in varsity volleyball.
4A MVP: Jessica Saliby, Orem
This senior forward plays in pain a lot of the time, but you wouldn't know it from talking to her.
"She's probably playing at 70 percent," said Orem coach Ross Reed of Saliby, who broke her leg last year and had to have a titanium rod implanted for stability. "That titanium throbs in the cold weather, but she never complains. She just plays."
Saliby was a team captain who picked up her game just when the region champions needed it most. Also a softball player, Saliby finished the season averaging 14.6 points and 13.2 rebounds per game, but often her contributions weren't captured in statistics.
"She's always got a smile on her face," Reed said. "She's always trying to pick everyone else up. She likes to have a good time, and she works extremely hard."
That hard work extended to every aspect of Saliby's life. She maintained a 3.74 GPA and will graduate with her associate degree thanks to concurrent enrollment classes. She hopes to be a nurse.
"She's an overachiever," said Reed. "You're talking about a player who's 5-9 down in the paint rebounding."
3A MVP: Camille Fehlberg, Emery
This senior isn't the loudest player on the floor, but she is impossible not to notice.
"Sometimes when she calls out plays you can hardly hear her," said Spartans coach Steve Gordon. "She is a leader by example."
Fehlberg and the Spartans lost in the 3A title game last season, and Gordon believes that's some of what drove Fehlberg and her teammates to earn a victory in that final game this season.
"They got a taste of that (loss) and didn't want that again," he said.
Fehlberg was key to the successful season. She led the team to an undefeated region title and then a state championship with her intense, hard work.
"She didn't need to score as much for us this year because we had other players," Gordon said. "She gave the ball up a ton.
"But in that championship game, our offense was cold, and she just took over."
She will attend college on a track scholarship, although she's still deciding which offer to accept. She is a 4.0 student, academic all-state and a sterling scholar in math.
2A MVP: Aubrey Lindgren, South Sevier
A two-year starter, Lindgren's strength is her quickness.
"She is very intense," said Rams head coach Randy Madsen. "She is athletic and quick."
Her speed is something other teams might not expect from a 5-foot-10 forward who prides herself on mixing it up inside. But she is not limited by her size or her position.
"She plays forward, but she can go inside and outside," Madsen said. "She can shoot the 3, and this year she shot 74 percent from the field. That's unbelievable."
Especially for a sophomore
But Madsen said the young lady is so driven, she seems to live for those heart-stopping moments.
"Pressure doesn't bother her at all," he said. "She's very competitive. She's the pitcher on the softball team, so she has that personality where she's fine with putting herself out there."
Lindgren led her team to a region title and state championship, averaging 13.9 points and 10.2 rebounds per game.
1A MVP: Stacy Stringham, Tabiona
When the championship game was on the line, this senior asked for the ball. Not because she didn't trust her teammates, but because she felt it was her responsibility.
"I knew Savana (Gines, point guard) would get me the ball right where I needed it," Stringham said after the team edged Rich 51-50 for the school's first girls basketball title. "My team is just amazing."
Stringham's athleticism and strength helped her lead a team that relied on just five players all season to the 1A title.
"She's real tough inside," said Tigers head coach Doug Price. "She worked really hard for us. She's also a great shooter."
Stringham finished the year averaging 17 points, 12.5 rebounds and two blocked shots per game. Price said in addition to her talent, her personality makes her a coach's dream.
"She listens well and works hard," he said. "She's just a great kid to be around. She doesn't take a lot of credit for herself, and she's very unselfish. She's easy to coach, and she plays really big."
Stringham, also an all-state volleyball player, maintains a 3.8 GPA and is deciding between several college scholarship offers.
E-mail: adonaldson@desnews.com