TAYLORSVILLE — Given Fremont's spotless region record and 12-game winning streak, no one could blame Pleasant Grove if the Vikings felt even a little bit uneasy squaring off against the Region 1 champions in the first round of the 5A girls basketball tournament.
The Silver Wolves made it look easy while capturing a region title — beating region opponents by an average margin of 15.3 points per game.
The Vikings resolved not to let Fremont's reputation and top five ranking get into their heads.
"We didn't want to be intimidated," senior forward Whitney Giles said.
Giles, in particular mastered the art of staying grounded. She scored key baskets to key big runs in both the second and third quarter to help Pleasant Grove stun the Silver Wolves 53-45 on Tuesday afternoon at Salt Lake Community College.
Giles scored seven of her 13 points while rallying Vikings from a 12-point deficit. Her first basket — a jumper with 4:14 remaining in the second quarter — ended a nine minute scoring drought.
From there, Pleasant Grove strung together a 13-3 run to trim Fremont's lead. McKell Miles capped the run with a three-pointer that made it 21-19 with 42 seconds left in the half.
"I was playing really timid," Giles said. "I knew I had to do it for my team. I had to get us going and get myself going."
Giles got them going again in the third quarter after Rachel Roberts drained a three of her own and Allie Cluff added a free throw to make it 29-22 for the Silver Wolves. Giles buried a three-pointer to answer Cluff's free throw and it was the beginning of a 19-5 run that put the Vikings ahead for good.
Fremont did rally, closing to 41-39 with two minutes left in the fourth after Mechel Hunt strung together back-to-back baskets and Roberts hit another three-pointer. But Miles closed the door on the comeback with a three-pointer that made it 46-41 with 1:36 remaining.
Miles didn't realize how crucial her points were until she glanced at the scoreboard.
"It really put it in perspective how great of a shot that was," said Miles, who finished with a team-high 14 points.
A defensive change after the first quarter also spurred on a change in Pleasant Grove's fortunes. Erika Nish, Fremont's starting center, did not play. Without her to worry about, the Vikings could switch from a man-to-man scheme to a zone defense.
Once Pleasant Grove cut down on its own bad passes, its zone defense limited the Silver Wolves' cuts to the basket and forced them to generate more offense from the perimeter.
Even when Fremont found a way to the paint, a Viking player often was waiting near the basket to force a bad shot or deliver a ferocious block.
"We felt like we could play a good half-court defense and contain them," said Pleasant Grove coach Glenn Larson. "That's why limiting turnovers was such a big deal. When you don't turn the ball over, they don't get transition baskets."
E-mail: jcoon@desnews.com