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SALT LAKE — Down by 15 points earlier in the fourth quarter, the Westlake Thunder decided it wasn't how they were going to go out.
Lone Peak's Sarah Bartholomew proceeded to answer back.
And her answer led the two-time defending champions to another 6A semifinal.
Powered by a 21-point, 10-rebound double-double by the senior forward, most of it coming in crunch time, Lone Peak snuffed out the Thunder's fourth-quarter rally in a 59-50 quarterfinal victory in the 6A girls basketball tournament at the Huntsman Center Monday afternoon.
Lone Peak head coach Nancy Warner said Bartholomew's breakout was a long time coming during the game.
"We needed her to step up," Warner said. "She wasn't getting the rebounds we needed, and they were taking her away on the block, even though she was in position."
That, along with a suddenly stagnant beginning to the fourth quarter where the Knights committed four consecutive turnovers, part of their uncharacteristic 14 on the afternoon, allowed Westlake to creep back into proceedings.
"In my mind, I just thought, 'This isn't happening,'" Bartholomew said.
It was hard to believe it even was happening. The Knights held Westlake to 9 points each in the second and third quarters, and they scored more than triple the paint points of the Thunder (48-16).
Yet, Charlotte McFarlane's team refused to quit. Led by senior guard Chloe Jensen, who scored 16 points, and forward Austyn Feller, who added 12 points and six rebounds, Westlake went on a 12-0 run to cut a 51-36 Knights lead to just 51-48 with under two minutes remaining.
"We talked about playing one minute at a time before the game," McFarlane said. "You saw the culmination of the entire season and the effort we gave in that run."
Jensen and Feller spearheaded the charge, with Ella Seymore draining a 3-pointer from the wing to cut the lead to 5 points.
"In the state tournament, you have to expect everyone's best game," Warner said. "I'm just grateful we came together to step up big."
Bartholomew, a senior, single-handedly led the charge. In a nearly two-minute span, she scored from in close to put Lone Peak back up by five, blocked a corner 3-pointer by Seymore, and scored a putback plus the foul off a missed Shawnee Nordstrom free throw.
She said her mindset in that moment was just be what she has been all season — the chairwoman of the boards for the Knights.
"I knew we had to have a chance at the basket in those moments," Bartholomew said. "We had to put it away."
Putting it away is exactly what she did, as Lone Peak sealed the win with free throws down the stretch. Warner said Bartholomew's leadership in the final minutes, however, was unmatched.
"Sarah's been there in these moments since she was a sophomore," she said. "That experience has proven to be what we need on our team."
And that experience is what McFarlane said her team hasn't had, until now. She said the game and those moments will only add to the growth of the younger players in the future.
"When you fight for each other, we're able to do things that we don't think are possible," McFarlane said. "Our kids believe in each other and trust each other enough to do that."
So do the Knights, who are headed back to the semifinals of the 6A playoffs, where they will try to reach an unprecedented third consecutive state championship game.
"Being able to be here, we know what's coming and we're prepared for it," Bartholomew said. "Knowing everyone can step up when needed and that we can rely on each other is huge."
And in a game where their resilience was tested late, Warner said they'll need to carry that forward down the stretch.
"It really is anyone's game now," she said. "We need to focus on the task at hand and get the job done in the moment."
