The tension was palpable in Bountiful’s gym as the 2023 5A state champion Redhawks were hosting the 4A state champion Ridgeline.
Bountiful entered Friday’s game riding a four-game win streak while Ridgeline had not lost to a Utah opponent. The streak continued for Ridgeline, as the RiverHawks dominated Bountiful in a 78-49 win.
Ridgeline had no issues getting early offense with its guards’ dribble penetration generating open looks. Nobody benefited from the RiverHawks’ ball movement more than Brinley Wiese, who had 11 points with three 3-pointers in the first quarter.
“No matter what defense teams are in, one of the goals is just to find the right shot and shoot your right shot,” said Ridgeline head coach Ainsli Jenks. “I think the girls did a good job of breaking down their defense.
“We had Brinley Wiese knock down some 3s, which helps pull out defense. The girls just really did a good job sharing the ball.”
Ridgeline’s offense exploded in the second quarter with 28 points, 14 of which came from 2022-23 4A player of the year Emilee Skinner, who ended the night with 22 points on 52% from the field, six rebounds, four assists and three steals.
“Emilee’s just one of those players where defenses sag to her,” said Jenks. “Oftentimes she’s got to make a read on what the best thing to do is. Emilee is just such a phenomenal team player. I think that’s what makes Emilee so special.”
“She can do a lot of things and she can do a lot of things right, but she’s willing to involve her teammates. To me, that is what makes Emilee so special.”
Skinner wasn’t the only one moving the ball for the RiverHawks. Ridgeline ended the night with 33 made field goals, 16 of which were assisted.
“My two favorite stats of the night were our steals, which was 14, and our assists, which was 16. I think the girls just got after it defensively which helped us get some good things going offensively,” said Jenks.
In the second half, Ridgeline struggled from behind the arc, but playmaking from Hallee Smith kept the RiverHawks’ lead strong. When Bountiful went on a 7-0 run to start the fourth quarter, Smith scored seven straight to maintain the distance.
“She just loves to work hard,” said Jenks. “She goes out on the court and she’ll just get after it. We gave her a big, big job guarding Taylor Harvey. (Harvey) is a lot taller than Hallee is and Hallee just got after it. She did good things defensively, got down the floor and made the extra pass, too.”
Smith ended the night with 19 points on 69% shooting, eight assists, five steals, and three rebounds.
“We just try to move the ball, share the ball and see who gets it and we’re all ready to shoot,” said Smith. “I think we just work hard on defense, and it opens up the offense for our team.
“We all just love to compete. We’re all good teammates and we want the best for each other. If we go down, we all just try to get it back. We’re all just trying our hardest to push the ball.”
Ridgeline outscored Bountiful in every quarter, and the Redhawks never scored more than 14 points in any quarter.
While Ridgeline is undefeated against Utah teams, it lost to Texas’ Monterrey and DeSoto in the Lehi Holiday Hoop Fest and will travel to Las Vegas next week to compete in the Tarkanian Classic in hopes of earning an out of state victory.