WEST JORDAN — Abby McVey put on a shooting clinic Thursday night that anyone, anywhere would’ve been thrilled with.
The Copper Hills senior sank seven 3-pointers for a career-high 24 points, and her team needed every one of those 3s to hold off region rival Riverton for the 73-62 victory to advance to next week’s 6A quarterfinals.
McVey found pockets in Riverton’s zone throughout the game, and her teammates kept finding her as she eclipsed her previous career highs of 18 points and five 3-pointers.
“The pressure of the game, I knew I needed to come in and get myself open, but a lot of it was my teammates being able to pass the ball and help me get open. That energy brought my confidence up,” said McVey, whose 63 3-pointers leads 6A this season.
Copper Hills 73, Riverton 62
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19735738/IMG_2338.jpg)
Leading scorers
Copper Hills: Abby McVey, 24
Riverton: Avalon Miller, 21
Three of her 3-pointers came in the first quarter, giving Copper Hills the early lead, but it was her three triples in the third that were the most damaging for underdog Riverton. With the lead hovering around 10 points throughout the third, McVey hit two 3-pointers in the final minute of the quarter to stretch the lead to 57-41 heading to the fourth.
McVey missed both her 3s in the fourth quarter — finishing 7 of 13 behind the arc — but each time she shot the ball there was a buzz in the crowd because everyone just assumed it was going in, especially Riverton.
McVey’s emergence this season was a big reason Copper Hills earned a share of the Region 3 title and will be playing in the quarterfinals at the University of Utah next Wednesday against No. 2 seed Lone Peak.
“She’s a girl who’s had to play behind some really good players the last few years but has been right on the cusp of being in the varsity rotation, but we’ve had a lot of strong guards the last few years so she’s had to wait her turn. Her senior year she’s made the most of it,” said Copper Hills coach Ben Morley.
Eleyana Tafisi chipped in with 14 points for Copper Hills, while Carlin Shepherd added 13. Morley said Tafisi’s ball-handling and ability to break down Riverton’s defense was a big contributor to Copper Hills’ 11 3-pointers.
“Eleyana didn’t play great scoring-wise, but her ability to put pressure on the defense and attack the basket is what opens things up for Abby. They’re a really nice combo,” said Morley.
Thursday’s game was more high scoring than Copper Hills’ two region wins over Riverton, as Morley said his team just wasn’t as sharp defensively as previous games.
Foul trouble contributed to that, and Riverton’s Avalon Miller capitalized scoring a team-high 21 points for the Silverwolves.
Copper Hills’ lead in the fourth quarter never dipped below nine points despite the Grizzlies making just 9 of 16 free throws as Riverton was forced to foul to climb back in the game.