5A girls state tourney: Highland, Springville advance to title game

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SALT LAKE CITY — The semifinal round of the 5A girls state tournament starts Thursday at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City. Follow along as we recap all the tournament games.

Games played Thursday are as follows:

Springville v. Lehi @ 3 p.m.
Mountain View v. Highland @ 4:40 p.m.

Thursday, 06:52pm

Semifinals: Highland edges past Mountain View in quarterfinal round

SALT LAKE CITY — The Mountain View Bruins showed well in a first-half effort, but it was the Highland Rams that separated itself in the second half to claim a 54-45 victory Thursday. Mountain View’s underdog mentality was apparent as Sami Suguturaga knocked down eight of the Bruins’ first 10 points, giving them an early lead. Fireworks began at the end of the first quarter as Mountain View’s Marinn White pulled down a rebound with two seconds remaining and beat the buzzer with up to put the Bruins up by four. Carsyn Stephenson gave the Rams a lead with 6:30 left in the first half on a score off the glass, but Sydney White snagged the lead right back for the Bruins with a 3-pointer the next trip down the floor. Mountain View’s lead lasted through the remainder of the first half as a last-second shot attempt by Highland was unsuccessful. Highland went on a tear out of halftime and went on a 9-2 run to take a 6-point lead. Sosefina Langi and Kaija Glasker supercharged the Rams during its run, scoring all 9 points. Mountain View clawed their way back to within two, but Highland separated itself when Langi knocked down a foul shot after making a bucket. The Rams started the fourth quarter with a 7-point lead and didn’t slow down there. They extended their lead to 11 in the first minute of the quarter. Offensive rebounds and transition play favored Highland as they looked to tire the Bruins out by sprinting up and down the floor and fighting for boards. Their aggressive play and physicality seemed to separate the two squads, but Mountain View’s grit dragged them back to within three with just over three minutes to go. Ultimately, Highland was just too much for the Bruins to handle and pushed their lead up to nine. “Enjoy it. Enjoy the moment,” Highland coach Kurt Schneider said of his post-game message to the team. “I told them, ‘You’ve been taught everything you need to do, now go and do it.’” Fourth-seeded Springville will take on third-seeded Highland in the 5A state championship game on Saturday at 11 a.m. MST. — Brayden Ramsay, KSL.com

Tuesday, 06:01pm

Semifinals: Springville ends Lehi's unbeaten season with upsetting finish

SALT LAKE CITY — Lehi led for most of the game, but it was Springville’s determination that would give them a fourth quarter lead and send them onto a 48-44 victory. “We told them going into today, ‘You are the underdogs. You have nothing to lose.’” Springville coach Holli Averett said. “We’re going to play Springville ball. We don’t care the opponent, we’re going to play Springville ball.”

5A girls hoops semifinals: 'Underdog' Springville (@SHS_RedDevils) upsets unbeaten Lehi for championship game berth. https://t.co/ecu2tVlixy pic.twitter.com/y4q3xneKaA
— KSL.com Sports (@KSLcomSports) February 28, 2020

The first quarter was slow as Springville was able to hold the undefeated Lehi Pioneers to 2 points through the first six minutes of the game. The Pioneers made improvements out of a late first quarter timeout to go on a 5-3 run and finish down by one point. Both teams went back and forth through the remainder of the first half, with Lehi taking a 20-19 lead into the break. Maddison and Macie Warren went on a charge to help lead Lehi through the second half. Both scored in double figures with 18 and 13 points, respectively, and combined for 15 rebounds to spark the Pioneers offensively. Springville’s Kayla Jackson was crucial for the Red Devils’ success in the second half as she would help lead Springville with 11 points. The Red Devils found themselves down by two heading into the fourth quarter but quickly found a groove and took a 2-point lead with just over four minutes remaining in the game. Brooke Pennington increased the lead to four when she was fouled and knocked down two free throws. After a late Lehi timeout, the Pioneers tied the game back up at 40 with a steal by Macie Warren, which turned into a layup on the other end by Jamisyn Heaton. It was short lived, though, as Addisyn Johnsdon gave the Red Devils a clutch layup followed by two made free throws by Pennington to put Springville up by four with 53 seconds left to play. Macie Warren wouldn’t see her Pioneers go down without a fight as she brought the ball down and made a late jump shot to cut the Red Devils lead to two. She stole an inbounds pass but Lehi didn’t allow her to convert. With 11.5 seconds left and up by four, Springville’s Lauryn Deede missed both free throws and Maddison Warren rushed the length of the court to give Lehi another two points. Springville’s Ahna Hullinger hit two free throws with two seconds left to give the Red Devils a 4-point lead. Lehi’s Lila Galeai heaved a last second 3-point attempt, which came up short to give Springville the win over undefeated Lehi. “They played their guts out, they got rebounds, different girls stepped up at different times and hit clutch free throws,” Averett said. “We played our game, and it ended up working.” Springville’s nailbiting win helped them advance to the 5A title game where they will take on the winner of the Highland-Mountain View game. The final will take place on Saturday at 11 a.m. — Brayden Ramsay, KSL.com

Tuesday, 11:13pm

Quarterfinal: Highland edges past Salem Hills in low-scoring affair

SALT LAKE CITY — The final quarterfinal game played Tuesday night was a slow, grind-it-out performance between the No. 3 Highland Rams and the No. 6 Salem Hills Skyhawks. After a rough offensive first half, both teams upped their game in the second. But ultimately, it was Highland who would escape with the low-scoring 34-30 victory. The Skyhawks and Rams struggled offensively and allowed six total steals and 13 total turnovers in the opening 16 minutes of play. At halftime, Highland shot 17.6% from the field, and Salem Hills wasn’t far behind, shooting just 15.8%. The score going into the break was a low 10-7 Highland lead. Highland came out swinging in the second half, scoring six unanswered points in the opening four minutes of action. Salem Hills upped their game at the break as well, doubling their scoring efforts in the opening six minutes of the third quarter. The Rams outscored the Skyhawks 14-8 in the third, matching their first half total points and setting up for a more eventful fourth quarter of action. The 5A matchup was a tight one in the final six minutes as Salem Hills’ Brooke Vance put the squad on her back and helped cut the lead to three. Maggie Moser hit a shot to tie the game at 24, notting the game up for the first time since the opening quarter of play. Highland attempted to keep the Skyhawks at arms distance and went on an 8-2 run in the ensuing three minutes, which caused Salem Hills to call a late timeout. The Skyhawks, once again, mounted a comeback and cut the Rams lead to two with under a minute to play. Vance forced the Rams’ Lei Makaui to step out of bounds, which gave the ball back to Salem Hills with 44 seconds remaining. Keanna Vaitohi of Salem Hills went to the free throw line after being fouled, but missed both free throws and Highland got the ball back with 21 seconds left in the game. Makaui redeemed herself by hitting two free throws to take a 4-point lead and to seal the victory for the Rams. Vance finished with 11 second-half points, for a total of 14 total points in the game. Makaui finished strong with 13 points in the win. Highland will now face the Mountain View Bruins on Thursday night at the Huntsman Center at 4:40 p.m. MST. — Brayden Ramsay, KSL.com

Tuesday, 10:17pm

Quarterfinal: Mountain View storms back to beat Viewmont

SALT LAKE CITY — There was time for one more shot. Mountain View made the most of it. Sydney White dribbled it the length of the court, drew two Viewmont defenders to her and dished it to a wide-open Abigail Kretschmer. She didn't have time to think — only react. Kretschmer floated it up and in just as the regulation buzzer sounded, sending the game into overtime where the Bruins finished off a thrilling and improbable comeback with a 52-50 OT win over Viewmont in the 5A quarterfinals Tuesday at Huntsman Center. “My freshman executes, kicks it to my senior, who hits the biggest shot of her life and that just made me so excited,” Mountain View coach Gentry Dickerson said. “She hasn’t gotten a ton of minutes but to make a big play like that is exciting.” That’s a bit of an understatement. The Bruins ran on the court mobbing Kretschmer. It was a euphoric moment, but one that didn’t mean the end. Mountain View still had work to do. And the Bruins looked to the freshman to do that. White shouldered most of the responsibility in the extra session. Her drive and scooping layup gave Mountain View a late 50-48 lead and then it was her that stepped to the line and hit the game-winning free throws. As those went in, her teammates erupted. She barely registered emotion. “She’s 14 and you won’t believe it,” Dickerson said. “The girl is able to process things better than others and to recognize she is here to have fun.” She had plenty on Tuesday. But most of it came late in the game. Viewmont held a sizable lead for much of the second half. When Karlia Gunnell hit a 3 with around three minutes remaining to give her 21 on the night and the Vikings a 6-point lead, it looked like that would be game over. But Gunnell, who was practically Viewmont’s entire offense, didn’t score again. That provided enough room for the No. 18 Bruins to make the comeback and roar into the semifinals. And now Mountain View has no reason to think their Cinderella run can’t continue. “I think we’ve been believing for about a week,” Dickerson said. “Why not us?” — Ryan Miller, KSL.com

Tuesday, 07:25pm

Quarterfinal: Lehi rolls to early victory over East

SALT LAKE CITY — The Lehi Pioneers controlled their quarterfinal game against the No. 8-seeded East Leopards, claimed an early double-digit lead and never looked back. Lehi emerged victorious from the Huntsman Center, topping the Leopards 53-30. Lehi showed why they are the No. 1 team in the state, as they jumped out to an early 18-3 lead behind the sharp shooting of Jamisyn Heaton and Lila Galeai. The Pioneers’ defense was tough and held the Leopards to 3 points through the first quarter on one made free throw and a layup. East’s second bucket came halfway through the second quarter, but Lehi continued to surge with crisp passing and quick transition points. East caught some fire toward the end of the first half and went on a 9-4 run as they went to the locker room at halftime down 22-12. Pioneer fans went out of the break when Macie Warren banked in a shot and was fouled on the play. She drained the ensuing free throw to set a spark for the Pioneers. Heaton’s big block on the next trip down the floor led to her finishing with a 3-pointer to put Lehi up by 18. Lehi’s dominance continued through the remainder of the game as they shut down East with methodical play while finding the easy shot. The Pioneers had three players in triple digits: Heaton finished the game with 14 points, Brinly Whiting ended up with 10 points and and Galeai finished with 13 points. Lehi’s victory sends them on to the semifinal round, where they will face off against the Springville Red Devils. The game will take place on Thursday at 3 p.m. MST. — Brayden Ramsay, KSL.com

Tuesday, 06:39pm

Quarterfinals: Springville Red Devils crash glass to rally by Skyline, 41-35

SALT LAKE CITY — Lauryn Deede knows she has one job — especially if her shots aren’t falling — for Springville’s girls basketball team: crash the glass. Only 5 of her 14 shots found the net in Tuesday’s Class 5A state quarterfinal — but her rebounds more than made up the difference. Deede had 12 points and 14 rebounds, and Addisyn Johnson added 12 points and nine boards to help the Red Devils rally for a 41-35 win over Skyline at the Huntsman Center. Kayla Jackson supplied 13 points, including a pair of 3-pointers, for the Red Devils (20-6). “My shots weren’t going in, so I had to get those rebounds,” said Deede, who combined with Johnson for 23 of Springville’s 33 rebounds. “I was just focused on that.” Added Springville coach Holli Averett: “We always say, off ball, opposite block and your job is to rebound. And they did it.” Skyline leading scorer Amit Lustgarten, who finished with 12 points, two assists and three steals, scored six of the Eagles’ first 9 points, and Skyline (17-7) held Springville scoreless until the 1:26 mark of the first quarter en route to a 13-4 lead early. It was a brutal start for the Red Devils, who feature three freshmen, four sophomores and five juniors on the roster — as well as a first-year head coach in Averett. Johnson scored 6 points in the second quarter to bring the Red Devils back, and Springville opened the second half with an 11-4 run to take a 26-23 on Jackson’s triple with just over 2 minutes left in the third quarter. “This is a young team. They haven’t been in this type of environment before,” Averett added. “It was just new — but after that first quarter they started to get their footing, and I feel like we calmed down.” The Red Devils never trailed again. “We always say if we play good defense, our offense will come,” Averett said. “I don’t know if our offense fully came, but if you play good defense, it translates into offense.” — Sean Walker, KSL.com

5A girls state tourney: Highland, Springville advance to title game

By KSL.com Sports | Updated - Feb. 27, 2020 at 6:52 p.m. | Posted - Feb. 25, 2020 at 6:01 p.m.

Semifinals: Highland edges past Mountain View in quarterfinal round

Semifinals: Springville ends Lehi's unbeaten season with upsetting finish

Quarterfinal: Highland edges past Salem Hills in low-scoring affair

Quarterfinal: Mountain View storms back to beat Viewmont

Quarterfinal: Lehi rolls to early victory over East

Quarterfinals: Springville Red Devils crash glass to rally by Skyline, 41-35

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5A girls state tourney: Highland, Springville advance to title game

By KSL.com Sports | Updated - Feb. 27, 2020 at 6:52 p.m. | Posted - Feb. 25, 2020 at 6:01 p.m.

Semifinals: Highland edges past Mountain View in quarterfinal round

Semifinals: Springville ends Lehi's unbeaten season with upsetting finish

Quarterfinal: Highland edges past Salem Hills in low-scoring affair

Quarterfinal: Mountain View storms back to beat Viewmont

Quarterfinal: Lehi rolls to early victory over East

Quarterfinals: Springville Red Devils crash glass to rally by Skyline, 41-35

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