Richfield's girls team has steamrolled the competition in 2A basketball this season, building a 20-0 record while holding the classification's top ranking throughout the year.
But with the 2A state tournament tipping off at Snow College on Friday, the Wildcats aren't taking anything for granted. Richfield, which opens against Layton Christian (2-15), has seen firsthand that anything can happen in first-round elimination games.
Back in 2006, when current seniors Jaquel Christensen, Lindsay Card, Brooke Bliss and Alexis Christensen were freshmen, Richfield stunned Beaver in a first-round game. The Beavers had won the previous five 2A championships, while Richfield was Region 12's No. 5 seed and coming off a 6-14 regular season.
"We've definitely talked about that in practice," Richfield coach Marc Peterson said. "We have to come out and play hard no matter what their record is. What we tell them is they have to go in and play hard in the first game and keep it going that way through four games."
Obviously, Peterson could have trouble getting his message across when his players realize that Layton Christian has won just two games this season. Although the Eagles may not have the full attention of Richfield, Layton Christian junior Jasmine Porter probably does. Porter is 2A's second-leading scorer, averaging 19.4 points per game.
Richfield junior Shacari Hinck usually guards her opponents' top scorer, and she'll likely get some help from Card in trying to slow down Porter.
"That's our main goal is to way find a way to limit her," Peterson said.
Richfield is one of several heavily favored teams in Friday's first-round games. Only one game – the nightcap between Enterprise and Grand – matches teams with winning records. League champions North Summit and Beaver, as well as contenders such as South Sevier and South Summit, aren't expected to encounter much trouble at Snow College.
Enterprise, Region 13's second-place team, got the toughest draw out of the first round's favored teams in Grand. The Wolves, led by Aubrey Green, lost two league games to Beaver by a total of two points. They face a Red Devils team that has won three of their last four games, with the one defeat coming against Richfield.
On paper, the majority of Friday's games may seem like they won't be closely matched. But Peterson said all favored teams can't assume they'll just show up and win.
"It's always in the back of your mind since you did it to somebody a few years ago," Peterson said. "You have to play hard right from the start, and not let them be in the game very long."
E-mail: aaragon@desnews.com