Utah 4A Hoops: Region 9 Shows Out in Round 2 of Tournament
In the span of four days, the 23 teams vying for the glory of a state championship have been whittled down to 8 squads left standing.
Round 2 concluded with a bang last night as 8 games showcased who would appear at Utah Valley University this upcoming Monday, the 26th.
Two upsets went down with a #9 over a #8, and a big time upset with the #4 seed falling to #13.
That massive takedown was courtesy of the #13 Lady Thunder taking down #4 Cottonwood.
Desert Hills had a 6-point edge after one quarter, and at the break. Despite the Lady Colts winning the second half by 5, Desert Hills would squeak out a clutch one-point 49-48 road win to move on after a clutch Hannah Heaton free throw.
Jenna Brown led the Lady Thunder with a 17-point showing, aided by making two of the teams three makes from downtown. Mylee Villanueva had the other three and 13 points to boot.
The Lady Colts were paced by 18 from Alivia Hutton in the tough loss.
In the other upset #9 Dixie went into #8 Hurricane for the 2nd time this season, and for the 2nd time this season, won a tight one.
This region 9 duel was heavily on Hurricane’s side. The Lady Tigers were up by 8 at half, 9 at the end of three, and then everything folded.
Dixie would outscore Hurricane 29-7 in the 4th quarter to steal the win, 59-46.
The 4th quarter dominance was led by Kealah Faumuina who finished the night with 20 points, doing most of that within the confines of the 4th. Jerzi Bundy chipped in 12 and Hali Smith put up 9 points.
Addison Crandall netted 14 in the Hurricane loss and Whitney Esplin nailed three triples on her way to an 11-point game.
For the other 6 contest, results were as the RPI expected.
#1 Ridgeline blasted past #17 Crimson Cliffs with a final of 86-24.
Emilee Skinner decided it was a triple double kind of day with 27 points, 13 rebounds and 7 steals. Add Elise Livingston and Macie Brown with 16 points apiece and its easy to account for a majority of their 86 points.
Summer Adams led the Lady Mustangs with 7 points.
For #2 Snow Canyon it was smooth sailing during a 77-37 smackdown of #15 Mountain View.
Behind star guard, Olivia Hamlin, the Lady Warriors had 48 points between the 2nd and 3rd quarter to put this one to bed.
Hamlin finished above the 30-point barrier with a 31-point finish while snagging 12 rebounds, 5 assist and 3 steals. Joey Jensen had 15 points and 4 steals in the win.
The Lady Bruins were led by Jaycee Carlson’s 12 points.
#3 Cedar was the next team to take care of business with a defensive shutdown of #14 Provo.
Behind Annalyse Shimada’s 20 points and 10 rebounds, the home team would roll to a 54-29 win in Iron County. Kira Hansen also had 12 points.
Taiana Albert was the leading scorer for the Lady Bulldogs with 8 points.
64-40 was the final between #5 Payson and #12 Jordan,
The Lady Lions saw a balanced attack with 4 players in double digits. Averie Roundy had 17 points and three triples and Oaklie Jackman had 16.
Kenzie Colunga netted 11 in the defeat.
In one of the more lopsided contests, #6 Green Canyon trounced #11 Murray with a 61-19 final.
Janalynn Blotter had 14 and Marissa Best chipped in 11 to pace the Lady Wolves.
Murray was led by Bonnie Henricksen who had 6 points.
Lastly, in a Cache Valley challenge, #7 Sky View held off #10 Mountain Crest.
It was Claire Fischer’s ten points leading a balanced attack for the Lady Bobcats.
Paige Egbert finished her season with an 11-point outing.
Now that we know who’s advancing, its as simple as filling in the bracket.
Here’s a look at your first game in Orem for the 4A girls’ tournaments as we hit the quarterfinals:
#1 RIDGELINE VS #9 DIXIE
#2 SNOW CANYON VS #7 SKY VIEW
#3 CEDAR VS #6 GREEN CANYON
#5 PAYSON VS #13 DESERT HILLS.
The first game to tip on Monday the 26th will be Cedar and Green Canyon at 4:10 PM.