ST. GEORGE — The undefeated Cedar Lady Reds clinched the Region 9 title Tuesday night with a 63-44 home win over crosstown rival Canyon View.
Meanwhile, the race for the three remaining state playoffs spot grew tighter as the gap between second place and sixth place narrowed to two games with three left to play. Only last-place Canyon View is out of the playoff picture.
In Cedar City’s rivalry game, the Lady Falcons got an early jump on Cedar, posting a 12-7 lead after one quarter, as the Lady Reds managed just three field goals while missing several shots in a row.
Despite their slow start on offense, Cedar head coach Corry Nielsen said he was more worried about his team’s defense during the first half.
“I was more concerned about us on defense,” he said. “They were getting offensive rebounds and easy, wide-open shots and attacking the basket. And we didn’t do too much to stop it.”
“It kind of reminded me of the first half at Snow Canyon, when we just kind of went through the motions,” Nielsen added, referring to when the Lady Reds trailed the Warriors by nine points at halftime on Jan. 17, only to rally and eventually win by seven.
With two minutes to go in the second quarter, Canyon View led 22-18, but Cedar finished the half with a 9-0 run, capped by a 3-pointer by Logann Laws at the buzzer, giving the Lady Reds a 27-22 lead.
The third quarter was played evenly, but Cedar began to pull away during the fourth quarter, eventually winning by 19.
“I was very pleased with the intensity of our defense and our shot selection in the second half,” Nielsen said. “We scored off our defense, and that is what we do the majority of the time.”
Laws and Samantha Johnston led Cedar in scoring with 14 points each, while Mayci Torgerson added 11 points. Denim Henkel added 9 points and 10 rebounds.
Canyon View was led by guard Jordan Nielson’s 16 points, while fellow guard Addy Newman added 13.
Cedar, which improved to 10-0 in region play with two games left on the schedule, has a bye Thursday before hosting Snow Canyon next Tuesday, Feb. 12.
Canyon View, which fell to 1-9 with the loss, plays at Pine View Thursday at 7 p.m.
In other Region 9 action Tuesday night, Hurricane and Pine View both picked up wins on the road.
At Snow Canyon, Hurricane won 57-51, fueled in part by a 15-2 run during the second quarter. Madi Hirschi led the Lady Tigers with 19 points, including four 3-pointers, while Tylei Jensen was Snow Canyon’s top scorer with 22.
Meanwhile, at Dixie, the Pine View Lady Panthers improved to 3-6 in region play with a 56-52 upset of the Lady Flyers. Pine View outscored Dixie 22-9 in the first quarter, only to see the Lady Flyers rally to tie the game by the end of the third period. Pine View was able to grind out a four-point win at the end.
The fight for the remaining three playoff spots heats up Thursday night, as Snow Canyon (5-5) will play at Desert Hills (5-4), and Dixie (5-4) plays at Hurricane (4-5). Both games tip off at 7 p.m.
Region 9 standings Cedar 10-0 (19-0)
Dixie 5-4 (11-8)
Desert Hills 5-4 (10-7)
Snow Canyon 5-5 (8-13)
Hurricane 4-5 (8-11)
Pine View 3-6 (5-11)
Canyon View 1-9 (6-14)
Click on photo to enlarge it, then use your left-right arrow keys to cycle through the gallery.
Hurricane's Kailee Yardley shoots a baseline jumper over the Warriors' Haylee Bradley, St. George, Utah, Feb. 5, 2019 | Photo by David Larson, St. George News
Hurricane vs. Snow Canyon, St. George, Utah, Feb. 5, 2019 | Photo by David Larson, St. George News
Snow Canyon's Tylei Jensen comes down with the rebound against Hurricane, St. George, Utah, Feb. 5, 2019 | Photo by David Larson, St. George News
The Tigers' Kailee Yardley tries to drive around a double team, St. George, Utah, Feb. 5, 2019 | Photo by David Larson, St. George News
Hurricane's Kandalyn Hinton tries to get off a shot inside, St. George, Utah, Feb. 5, 2019 | Photo by David Larson, St. George News
Hurricane's Kailee Yardley is defended by Snow Canyon's Hallie Remund, St. George, Utah, Feb. 5, 2019 | Photo by David Larson, St. George News
Snow Canyon's Olivia Harris drives into the middle of Hurricane's defense, St. George, Utah, Feb. 5, 2019 | Photo by David Larson, St. George News
The Warriors' Olivia Harris gets behind the defense for a reverse layup, St. George, Utah, Feb. 5, 2019 | Photo by David Larson, St. George News
Dixie's Sina Tapasa swats way a jump ball against Pine View's Averi Papa, St. George, Utah, Feb. 5, 2019 | Photo by David Larson, St. George News
The Flyers' Sina Tapasa shoots a jumper from the foul line as Pine View's Averi Papa defends, St. George, Utah, Feb. 5, 2019 | Photo by David Larson, St. George News
Pine View's Averi Papa has possession of the ball above a scrum, St. George, Utah, Feb. 5, 2019 | Photo by David Larson, St. George News
Dixie's Sina Tapasa takes it to the hoop over the Panthers' Ellie Wilson, St. George, Utah, Feb. 5, 2019 | Photo by David Larson, St. George News
Pine View vs. Dixie, St. George, Utah, Feb. 5, 2019 | Photo by David Larson, St. George News
Pine View's Averi Papa plays tight defense on Dixie's Sina Tapasa, St. George, Utah, Feb. 5, 2019 | Photo by David Larson, St. George News
Dixie's Enid Vaifanua splits to Pine View defenders in the lane, St. George, Utah, Feb. 5, 2019 | Photo by David Larson, St. George News
Pine View vs. Dixie, St. George, Utah, Feb. 5, 2019 | Photo by David Larson, St. George News
Cedar's Mayci Torgerson grabs a rebound against Canyon View, Cedar City, Utah, Feb. 5, 2019 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News
Canyon View's Ashlyn Banks is guarded by Cedar's Jaidi Willden, Cedar City, Utah, Feb. 5, 2019 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News
Canyon View's Mackenzi Whitehair is guarded by Cedar's Logann Laws, Cedar City, Utah, Feb. 5, 2019 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News
Canyon View's Addison Newman is guarded by Cedar's Abby Davis, Cedar City, Utah, Feb. 5, 2019 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News
Cedar's Logann Laws is guarded by Canyon View's Addison Newman, Cedar City, Utah, Feb. 5, 2019 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News
The ball goes out of bounds, with Canyon View's Jordan Nielson and Cedar's Mayci Togerson in background, Cedar City, Utah, Feb. 5, 2019 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News
Cedar's Mayci Torgerson shoots a free throw against Canyon View, Cedar City, Utah, Feb. 5, 2019 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News
Cedar's Samantha Johnston cuts down net after the Lady Reds clinched Region 9 title with win over Canyon View, Cedar City, Utah, Feb. 5, 2019 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News
Cedar players watch teammates cut down net after the Lady Reds clinched Region 9 title with win over Canyon View, Cedar City, Utah, Feb. 5, 2019 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News
Cedar's Japrix Weaver cuts down net after the Lady Reds clinched Region 9 title with win over Canyon View, Cedar City, Utah, Feb. 5, 2019 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News
Cedar head coach Corry Nielsen finishes cutting down net after the Lady Reds clinched Region 9 title with win over Canyon View, Cedar City, Utah, Feb. 5, 2019 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jeff Richards, a native of Salt Lake City with family roots in Panguitch, lived in Moab for 20 years before joining St. George News in 2017. Jeff is a longtime journalist and secondary school teacher. He and his wife Penny are the parents of five daughters. They also have two young grandsons. Jeff and his family enjoy swimming, camping, sightseeing, reading, and taking pictures.