Maple Mountain 53, Provo 52
Thanks to a dramatic fourth-quarter comeback, Maple Mountain is no longer winless this season. The Golden Eagles curbed an 18-game losing streak by rallying to beat Provo, 53-52, in front of their home crowd after trailing late in the game. The Golden Eagles, who average just 37.9 points per game, battled hard with the Bulldogs and held a 24-23 lead at halftime, just the third halftime lead of their season. Provo controlled the third quarter and went on a run, outscoring the Golden Eagles, 17-11, but rather than break down, Maple Mountain squared up and closed out the game with an 18-point fourth quarter, tying the most points scored in any quarter of its season. Junior forward Jaynee Tanner led Maple Mountain with a double-double of 13 points and 15 rebounds. Shaylee Brown and Ashlynn Lainhart added another 13 and 12 points, respectively. Provo senior Rachel Fale led all scorers with 20 points, including six 3-pointers, while senior Kiley Biorge added 14 points.
“This was such a great team win to be honest. We had so many girls step up on both sides of the court throughout the game. There were times when Provo made runs that in the past we would have given up, but tonight, we were able to weather those runs and battle back. These young players have been working so hard to improve night in and night out the entire season. It’s very rewarding to see them finally get to enjoy some results from their effort,” Maple Mountain coach Cory Green said.
South Sevier 46, Kanab 44
Close games have defined 2A Region 19 hoops all season long, and it was finally South Sevier’s turn to get on the winning side as the Rams went into Kanab and upset the Cowboys, 46-44. South Sevier had lost four games in region this year when leading or tied at halftime, including a heartbreaker at Beaver last game. It appeared to be getting away from the Rams again after surrendering an early lead to trail by 8 at halftime. Instead, South Sevier played a shutdown third quarter, 16-2, and held on for victory. Sophomore forward Kinley Jensen led the Rams with 15 points, and senior Hayzen Taylor and sophomore Caitlin Nielson combined for six 3-pointers as they scored 14 and 10 points, respectively. Junior guard Ashlyn Houston had 15 points for the Cowboys, along with sophomore forward Savannah Bateman who had 13 points, including four triples.
“In an extremely tough region, we have battled every night but come up short. Tonight, we got the win. Kinley Jensen had a really nice game offensively and defensively, and our bench was key in this win. Every player that stepped on the floor had a moment that contributed to our win,” South Sevier coach Tracy Johnson said.
Highland 60, Brighton 56
Highland got all that Brighton could give them in a near upset in 5A Region 6, but the Rams kept their lead stable and escaped with a close win over the Bengals on the road, 60-56. Each quarter of the game was decided by 2 points or fewer. The Rams had a tough time dealing with Brighton’s Maya Mismash, who finished with a game-high 21 points on five 3-pointers, but junior Sosefina Langi scored 18 points to lead the Rams, while Nia Olevao and Olivia Tausinga added 17 and 11, respectively. Olivia Stephens and freshman Sophie Nelson added 13 and 10 points, respectively, for Brighton in the loss.
“Brighton is a tough team. We stuck with our game plan and made adjustments when needed. We made free throws at the end that we needed,” Highland coach Sala Asiata said.
Payson 50, Uintah 48
Two high-end teams in 5A Region 7 competed to the final seconds, but it was senior guard Emersea Beddoes that had the final say. Beddoes sank the go-ahead shot with just four seconds on the clock to close out a big win for Payson over Uintah, 50-48. Beddoes scored 15 points to lead eight Lions who scored in the game. Uintah got big games out of McKenzie White with 18 points, including three 3-pointers, and Kyrsten Bake with 15 points. The win keeps Payson in the Region 7 race at 7-1 just behind 8-0 Cottonwood. The Lions face the Colts in a huge region matchup on Wednesday.
“Our team is very balanced and led by a really tough group of seniors. Despite being down at times, they never quit and came through in a hard-fought region game. I’m very proud of this group. Any one of them can score double digits any game. When we finally get healthy, we can play with anyone. I love this team,” Payson coach Chad Bahr said.