Grantsville holds off Layton Christian in Region 13 showdown
Grantsville will be heading into the playoffs with momentum, as it avenged an earlier region loss to Layton Christian on Thursday night with an impressive 60-52 victory over the Eagles in the Region 13 clash.
“Our girls played very well tonight. They prepared hard in practice yesterday and executed the game plan and I’m very proud them. This was another great game, against a great team, in a playoff-like atmosphere and it was exactly what we needed to best prepare us for the state tournament,” said Grantsville coach Megan Vera.
Grantsville will likely come up short in its region title quest, assuming Morgan beats Ben Lomond on Friday, but its bigger goal is still very much a possibility in the 3A state tournament, which starts next week.
“We are very excited to start the tournament and I’m very grateful that this group of girls is the group I get to continue to coach,” said Vera.
Kenzie Allen, one of the leading scorers in the state, paced Grantsville with 21 points, with Ellie Thomas chipping in a career-high 17.
The two combined for five 3-pointers in the first half as Grantsville raced out to a 31-16 halftime lead.
Emily Ware finished with a double-double with 10 points and 14 rebounds.
Layton Christian, which was led by Bianca Silva’s 22 points, cut the lead to 40-33 heading into the fourth, but Grantsville was steady at the line to deny a comeback.
“LCA has some of the best offensively skilled players I’ve coached against so we challenged our girls tonight with some specific assignments and for the most part our girls did what we asked them to. Every one who played did their job and a few girls really made some huge plays through the game,” said Vera.
Copper Hills upsets Riverton in Region 3
For the second time in three weeks, Copper Hills took a lead over Riverton into the fourth quarter on Thursday.
This time the Grizzlies protected it.
Copper Hills thwarted Riverton’s comeback bid in the fourth quarter as it prevailed 48-38 to hand the Silverwolves just their fourth loss of the season.
Ellie Taylor led Copper Hills with 20 points, with Skylie Barker adding 10.
“The girls have been waiting for a statement win all season. They played extremely hard on defense and unselfish on offense. We knew it was going to take a lot to beat a great team on their home court and they stepped up to the challenge. I’m really proud of those girls,” said Copper Hills coach Jake Timpson.
Copper Hills was in control the entire game after holding Riverton to just four points in the first quarter and leading 24-11 at the half.
In the previous meeting, Copper Hills led 32-28 heading into the fourth quarter but ended up losing by eight points.
Millard earns share of Region 16 title
Millard used a strong fourth quarter to pull away from North Summit on Thursday night and earn a share of the Region 16 title.
North Summit had a chance to win the title outright, but Millard used a balanced offensive effort to deny the Braves.
“Our team came out with fire and intensity from the get go. Offensively we were patient and waited for the whole to open and then capitalized on it. Defensively we were moving, talking and helping each other when we needed to. We knew that we had to make stops on D and they came out and executed it,” said Millard coach Melanie Bassett.
Kara Camp led Millard with 17 points, with Paige Cummings adding 16.
Melanie Hiatt leads Sky View past Mountain Crest
Visiting Sky View got an important win over Mountain Crest on Thursday as the teams jockey for runner-up position in Region 11.
Ridgeline has already clinched the region title with another week remaining, but Sky View’s 64-56 win at Mountain Crest puts it a game ahead of both Mountain Crest and Green Canyon with one game remaining.
Melanie Hiatt had a huge game for the Bobcats, finishing with 24 points, and Macy Hellstern added 16.
Sky View jumped out quick against Mountain Crest, as it built a 35-26 halftime lead. It protected the lead from the free throw in the fourth quarter to prevent a Mustang rally.
“I thought our girls did a good job of staying composed down the stretch. We were able to drive and work the ball inside in the fourth quarter. We knocked down some big free throws at the end of the game to maintain our lead,” said Sky View coach Vanessa Hall.
Richfield captures Region 12 title
Richfield played dominant team defense and then got great production offensively from Nicole Willardson (16 points) and Kate Robinson (13 points) to roll past Canyon View in the regular season finale 47-25.
Combined with Emery’s loss to Carbon on Thursday, the win gave Richfield sole possession of the Region 12 title.
“Canyon View played well, offensively we weren’t at our best but our defense remained strong until we were able to pull away. The girls are happy with the region championship but really have their minds set on a bigger goal! We will keep working hard,” said Richfield coach Marc Peterson.