Box score
It’s not often you get to skip your political science class to flip on ESPN2 and watch your name get announced as a participant in the 2025 McDonald’s All-American game. But that’s exactly the type of Monday Emilee Skinner got to experience this week.
The reigning Deseret News Ms. Basketball recipient had a pretty good feeling her name would get called during the lunchtime, but seeing it actually unfold that way was a pretty special moment nonetheless.
“It’s been a goal of mine. I had a good feeling about it, once it finally announced my name I felt really good about it. I’m super excited to play with the girls because I’ve played with them at camps and on team USA so it will be fun to play with the girls and hang out with them,” said Skinner, who will play in the game in Brooklyn on April 1.
Skinner becomes just the third McDonald’s All-American from Utah, joining Fremont’s Timea Gardiner (2022) and Lehi’s Michelle Harrison (2006).
As luck would have it, a few hours after the nationally broadcast announcement, Skinner got the opportunity to showcase why she’s a McDonald’s All-American on her home floor.
With undefeated Ridgeline hosting undefeated Grantsville on Monday in a marquee showdown of two of the best teams in the state, the Riverhawks were cutthroat from the jump in a dominant 67-34 victory.
Like she usually does, Skinner filled the stat sheet with 18 points, 12 rebounds, six assists, five steals and three blocks for Ridgeline, which improved to 20-0 with the win. Grantsville, meanwhile, falls to 18-1.
Both teams had similar quality wins this season against teams like Copper Hills, Morgan and Richfield, and Ridgeline coach Ainsli Jenks new it would take a great effort to beat Grantsville.
She attributes the win to preparation and the way her girls attacked Grantsville’s 1-2-2 aggressive half-court zone defense.
“So proud of my girls. We’ve worked really, really hard in film and in practice looking at that 1-2-2 defense that is just stifling, honestly. Grantsville has done a phenomenal job holding teams to low points, winning big games. Megan has them playing good tough defense,” said Jenks.
Grantsville hadn’t faced a team the caliber of Ridgeline though, and it got burned defensively often. With Skinner getting extra defensive attention along the perimeter, Ridgeline passed quickly out of the pressure and Grantsville’s defensive rotations in the paint were too slow.
Abby Mumford scored on four straight layups in the first quarter as Ridgeline’s lead swelled quickly to a dozen points. In less than eight minutes, Grantsville’s hopes had all but vanished.
“We’ve been working really hard at finding those holes, and I think the girls did a phenomenal job,” said Jenks. “I don’t know how many layups we had that first quarter, but it was just boom, boom, boom inside, just busting it up, and Abby Mumford going to work and Em (Skinner) and (Makaydi Jenks) finding her down there and I just thought it was great team basketball.”
Mumford finished with a game-high 19 points, while Jenks had 11 assists.
Ridgeline led 16-6 by the end of the first quarter and then 37-13 at the half. The Riverhawks’ biggest lead was 65-28 late in the game before Grantsville’s Renn White drained back-to-back 3-pointers in the final two minutes.
Grantsville coach Megan Vera certainly believed Monday’s game was winnable, but said the mentality just wasn’t what it needed to be.
“I felt like in warm-ups there was a lot of confidence, and in the locker room a lot of confidence, but on the floor in the way we played, I think we had some kids play timid, not looking to score, and against a team like that, you’ve got to have a killer mentality,” said Vera. “We overthought Emilee a little bit, and we weren’t making our defensive rotations, their post went off there.”
This was the third straight season Ridgeline and Grantsville have played a nonregion game despite being in different classifications. The previous two years the games were played before region play, but Vera really wanted this year’s rematch in late January to prepare her team for the state tournament.
Grantsville has been the favorite in the 3A tourney each of the past two seasons in its quest for the first girls basketball state title in school history, but each year it underachieved in the playoffs.
“We knew in the middle of region last year that we needed to throw in some games this year in region play just to challenge us, and maybe humble us and prepare us for the end of February a little bit better than what we got prepared last year,” said Vera.
If losing to Ridgeline by 33 on Jan. 27 helps Grantsville lift that elusive 3A title trophy on Feb. 26, then the thrashing will all have been worth it. Granted, Vera admits success depends on how her girls respond to the humbling loss.
“I would’ve liked to put up a more competitive game, I think our girls are capable of that, but mentally we did not show up ready to compete tonight,” said Vera. “Biggest thing is how do we respond. That’s going to be telling for us tomorrow.”
Avery Allred led Grantsville in the loss with nine points, with Baylee Lowder adding eight.