LOGAN – Desert Hills and Cedar fans were hoping to celebrate a state championship this weekend, but Thursday’s quarterfinal losses kept that from becoming a reality.
However, just hours after the emotional losses, the two southern Utah teams bounced back with consolation wins Friday morning. Desert Hills exploded for 40 first-half points en route to a blowout of Union, while Cedar got a big game from Carley Davis to cruise past Grantsville. Here’s a look at the two contests:
Desert Hills 59, Union 38
Ashley Beckstrand had a rough night in the quarters, but looked excellent in the Lady Thunder’s big win against the Lady Cougars.
She finished with a game-high 18 points and wasn’t far from a triple-double with eight rebounds and eight steals. Elly Williams was solid in the post with eight points and 10 rebounds and D-Hills coach Ron Denos was able to get some valuable playing time for the younger players as the game was a laugher early on. Fourteen different players got on the floor for DH, with 12 of those scoring at least two points.
“We played like we should play today,” Denos said. “We had energy and played with confidence. This was the team I know, not the team that played yesterday.”
Denos said playing better was important to him and and his players after Thursday’s disappointing performance.
“We talked about coming out and showing that we are a good team, not an overrated team,” he said. “Today showed our capabilities and that yesterday’s game we just played bad.”
Beckstrand led the charge early as Desert Hills built a double-digit lead four minutes into the game. It was 20-7 by the end of the first quarter and the advantage grew to 40-19 by halftime. Denos kept the foot on the gas pedal through three quarters, pushing the Thunder advantage to 53-25. The fourth quarter was a battle of the junior varsity players.
Desert Hills, 19-4, will play Cedar in the fifth-place game on Saturday at 9 a.m. at Ridgeline High School. Union ends the year with a 12-11 record.
Cedar 59, Grantsville 48
Davis had a solid game inside for the Lady Reds, scoring 18 points and corralling nine rebounds. Lindsey Robinson continued her steady play with 15 points, including a pair of 3-pointers. She also had six steals. Maisie Elison also had a pair of treys and finished with 12 points and five rebounds.
The Cowgirls actually started the game with a 5-0 lead after a pair of free throws and then a 3-pointer by Paige McKluskey. Grantsville held a 7-3 advantage before Cedar went on a 7-0 run late in the first quarter. Davis had all seven points in the run on a jumper, a layup and a three-point play.
Cedar dominated most of the second quarter and held a 21-13 lead before sisters Abby and Hannah Butler teamed up to cut it to 21-17 at intermission.
Rylie Ekins hit a 3-pointer to complete the comeback for Grantsville and give the Cowgirls a 24-23 lead three minutes into the third quarter. But Robinson answered just seconds later with a 3 of her own to make it 26-24 and spark a 12-0 run for Cedar that tipped the game in CHS’s favor.
The Cowgirls fought back again in the fourth quarter, tying the game at 46-46 with under three minutes to play. But Japrix Weaver hit a 3-pointer and, after a Grantsville miss, Elison scored in the paint to make it 51-46 and the Lady Reds converted their free throws the rest of the way to record the win.
Cedar, 18-6, will play Desert Hills in the fifth-place game on Saturday at 9 a.m. at Ridgeline High School. Grantsville ends the year with a 21-4 record.
3A STATE GIRLS BASKETBALL PLAYOFFS (@ USU)
SEMIFINALS
Carbon vs. Juan Diego, 4:10 p.m.
Richfield vs. Morgan, 5:50 p.m.
QUARTERFINAL RESULTS
UPPER BRACKET
Carbon 59, Desert Hills 44
Juan Diego 44, Union 34
LOWER BRACKET
Richfield 42, Cedar 40 (F/OT)
Morgan 56, Grantsville 49
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