High school girls basketball: Titans’ duo turn away Alta and prepare for another important region match

With all of the talented 5A girls basketball teams in Utah, the Olympus Titans have quietly been making a move to be included among them.

The Titans took another big step Tuesday evening. Led by Kya Newton and Cammie Bontempo, Olympus stayed undefeated in Region 6 play with a 55-45 win over Alta on the Hawks’ home court in Sandy.

Newton led with 23 points, and Bontempo had 11 points and a career-high 21 rebounds as the Titans used a 11-0 scoring burst in the second quarter to build a nice lead they never relinquished.

“Cammie was a beast,” said Olympus coach Whitney Jenkins. “She and Kya were all over the court and they took over our offense when we needed it. We had some turnovers, but I was OK with it because we trying to set up our players for layups.”

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With its ninth straight win, Olympus improved to 11-2 overall and 4-0 in region, and it sets up a potentially exciting home battle at 5:15 p.m. Friday against third-ranked Bountiful (also unbeaten in region).

With the Titans’ boys program being the defending state champ and slated to play host to the Redhawks immediately afterward, the Holladay school might be a busy place that day.

“(Tuesday’s win) sets up a big game,” Jenkins said. “This is such a tough region, and we know the road (to the title) has to go through Bountiful. We knew it had to go through Alta, too. They are so tough and have so many seniors; we just made the plays when we had to.”

Both Olympus and Alta started slowly but the game initially moved in the Titans’ favor thanks to the hustle of Bontempo, a 5-foot-7 senior who had more rebounds (17) than the entire Alta team by halftime. The game was tied 12-12 early in the second quarter when Olympus earned its big lead, and Bontempo helped with several offensive boards that led to baskets during a four-minute span when the Hawks went scoreless.

Newton, meanwhile, anchored the team’s offense. The 5-foot-4 senior is the Titans’ leading scorer at 20.8 points per game. She moved from the Mountain Ridge area last summer and played a big enough role on Olympus’ soccer team last fall to earn a scholarship to Utah State.

On this night, Newton made 7 of 16 shots (with a pair of 3-pointers) and added 7 of 10 free throws. She also asked to control the ball in the final minutes to help Olympus withstand Alta’s last rally.

Alta didn’t go quietly. The Hawks, who came into the game in a three-way tie with Bountiful and Olympus, came back behind Alia Baldassano, who had 17 points, and Olivia Stephens, who added 12.

Alta got to within eight points in the fourth quarter until running out of time. The Hawks (12-2, 3-1) will have a chance to stay close in the region race when they travel to Bountiful Jan. 20.