Region 10 girls basketball: Desert Hills holds on at home; Snow Canyon, Cedar also post wins

Hurricane hosts Snow Canyon in a Region 10 girls basketball game, Hurricane, Utah, Jan. 27, 2022 | Photo by E. George Goold, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — The top two teams in Region 10 high school girls basketball continued their winning ways Thursday night.

Snow Canyon played smothering defense in a big road win, while Desert Hills had to rally in the fourth quarter to win at home. Meanwhile at Cedar, the Reds won in a low-scoring contest. 

Following are recaps of Thursday night’s games:

Snow Canyon 56, Hurricane 36

The Warriors had their pressure defense working all game, holding the Tigers to just two points in the third quarter and forcing Hurricane into several missed shots.

Snow Canyon coach Dan Roden told St. George News that the Warriors needed to work on their defensive effort after last Thursday’s win over Crimson Cliffs.

Hurricane hosts Snow Canyon in a Region 10 girls basketball game, Hurricane, Utah, Jan. 27, 2022 | Photo by E. George Goold, St. George News

“We didn’t feel like our positioning was very good, and our intensity on the defensive end was awful,” Roden said. “So we had some pretty physical defensive drills in practice, and we challenged them and I think they responded tonight.”

Snow Canyon came out hot at the tip-off. Jocelyn Olson drained a quick 3-pointer and hit a bucket, and Olivia Hamlin scored a layup.

Hurricane answered with a long 3-pointer from Adri Gubler and a nice inside bucket from Morgan Stout, who converted an assist from Lindy Erickson.

Hamlin sank a 3-pointer that was answered by another trey from Gubler as Snow Canyon got out to a 13-8 lead.

Natalie Olson’s traditional 3-point play and consecutive scoring drives by Hamlin put the Warriors ahead 22-10 at the end of the first frame.

Hurricane responded by winning the second quarter 13-10 and the Warriors took a 32-23 lead into the intermission.

“I thought we were much more intense and rebounded pretty well against a physical team that likes to crash the boards,” Roden said. “That was the most physical our post players have been all year on defense.”

Hamlin scored seven of her game-high 23 points in the third quarter to help Snow Canyon to a 47-25 lead and the Warriors never looked back.

Hamlin had all of her moves working against Hurricane: the crossover, the stutter step, the dribble between the legs, the jumper from both mid- and long-range, the slicing drives to the hoop.

And the freshman has defensive savvy too, with quick hands and feet that generate steals.

“She’s learning the little subtle things in the game,” Roden said. “I don’t know what else to say, she’s just very good. We’re blessed to have her.”

Olson finished with 12 points for the winners and Lainee Leavitt sank two 3-pointers and finished with seven points for Snow Canyon.

Gubler’s long-distance shooting was a bright spot for Hurricane. The junior canned four 3-pointers in the contest and led the Tigers with 15 points.

Erickson finished with 10 rebounds and seven points, while Addi Crandall grabbed eight boards and also scored seven points for the Tigers.

Desert Hills 51, Dixie 46

The Thunder, unbeaten in region play, was tested to the limit as Dixie held a 36-31 lead after three quarters.

Desert Hills hosts Dixie in a Region 10 high school girls basketball game, St. George, Utah, Jan. 27, 2022 | Photo by Mark Musgrave, St. George News

But Desert Hills rallied at home for a 20-10 fourth quarter performance to secure the victory.

Hannah Heaton came off the bench to score eight of her 10 points to lead the comeback in that final frame. Julia Jacobsen contributed six of her team-high 15 points in the Desert Hills rally.

The Thunder also got seven points from Sa’de Turlington and eight points from Enid Vaifanua in the victory.

Dixie’s sensational sophomore Kealah Faumuina continued her outstanding season after leading Dixie in the upset bid with 19 points, including a 5-of-6 showing from the free throw line.

Rees Lorentzen contributed 11 points for the Flyers while Jaycee Bundy scored nine. Hali Smith scored seven points to round out Dixie’s effort in the setback.

Cedar 38, Pine View 26

In a low-scoring defensive battle, the Cedar Reds led Pine View wire-to-wire, capturing a 12-point win at home.

Cedar jumped out to a 10-0 lead to start the game, with the run including six points by Haylee Campbell.

Pine View at Cedar, Region 10 girls basketball, Cedar City, Utah, Jan. 27, 2022 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

Pine View then rallied to score the next eight points, with Addie Topham first making a 3-pointer, which was followed by five Panther free throws spread out over the next few possessions. That brought Pine View within two points, 10-8.

Cedar made two more points before the first quarter ended, then outscored the Panthers 6-0 during the second quarter to take an 18-8 halftime lead.

Both teams picked up the pace offensively during the third, with Cedar winning the frame 14-13.

Pine View hit another cold spell during the first half of the fourth period, not scoring until hitting a free throw with 3:59 remaining.

Cedar was limited to a single field goal during the fourth but managed to hold Pine View to two baskets and five points during that same stretch.

Pine View at Cedar, Region 10 girls basketball, Cedar City, Utah, Jan. 27, 2022 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

The Reds made 4-of-6 free throws during the fourth to ice the win.

Campbell finished with 13 points to lead the Reds, while Annalyse Shimada added eight and Peterson contributed five.

Pine View, which played without star guard Emma Jensen, was led by Gustin’s 10 points, while Rachel Mathis and Topham each added five.

Cedar coach Corry Nielsen said afterward he knows what it’s like for a team to play without one of its best players.

“We’ve had games with one or two of our best players not playing, so I understand how they feel. It’s kind of hard to adapt,” he said.

While he was happy with his team’s defensive efforts, Nielsen said he’s hoping for a smoother game next Tuesday when the Reds travel to Dixie to face the Flyers.

“We had 18 turnovers, which is way too many,” he added.

– written by Jeff Richards

Region 10 girls basketball standings (as of Jan. 28)

  1. Desert Hills 8-0 (12-4)
  2. Snow Canyon 7-1 (12-5)
  3. Cedar 3-5 (8-8)
  4. Pine View 3-5 (7-10)
  5. Hurricane 3-5 (8-10)
  6. Dixie 2-5 (5-9)
  7. Crimson Cliffs 1-6 (4-12)

Next Tuesday’s games:

  • Snow Canyon at Desert Hills, 7 p.m.
  • Crimson Cliffs at Hurricane, 7 p.m.
  • Cedar at Dixie, 7 p.m.

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