HURRICANE — The 4A girls’ basketball season is just getting underway, and early games Friday night between Region 10 and Region 11 teams started to clarify who will be the top contenders to hoist the trophy.

No. 1 Ridgeline beat Hurricane convincingly.

Pine View and Crimson Cliffs were the only two Region 10 teams that won as Snow Canyon, Desert Hills and Cedar all fell in home contests against  Region 11 foes.

Here are brief recaps of Friday night’s girls’ action on the hardwood.

Ridgeline 80, Hurricane 48

Despite what the score might indicate, Hurricane played its best game of the year so far and showed signs that the Tigers can put all of the pieces together and be competitive.

“It was a pivotal game for us,” Hurricane coach Pepper Reddish told St. George News after the game.

“We’ve been in a little bit of what I would call a slump, working on chemistry,” Reddish added. “We have the talent. To me, tonight I saw the chemistry.”

The Tigers (1-5) were facing a daunting challenge in the Riverhawks (4-0), who lost in last year’s 4A state championship game 58-55 in double overtime against Desert Hills. That was one of only two losses all season for Ridgeline.

The Riverhawks came into Hurricane defeating its opponents by an average of 37.3 points and they flew out to a 27-14 lead after the first quarter.

Analee Larsen scored Hurricane’s first points of the game, two free throws, 2:30 into the game. The Tigers’ first field goal came from Nizhoni Dominguez six minutes into the game, cutting Ridgeline’s lead to 18-6.

Kiley Kearney sank a long 3-pointer at the buzzer, sending Hurricane into the second session with some momentum.

“The next piece of the puzzle is just making those shots go in,” Reddish said. “As soon as those shots start falling, we’re going to look like we thought we would.”

Ridgeline’s centerpiece is sophomore leading scorer Emilee Skinner, who threw in 20 seemingly effortless points in the win. 

But players like Elise Livingston (17 points) and Halle Smith (11 points) give the Riverhawks notable depth and take pressure off Skinner to be the primary playmaker.

Skinner showed her chops in the second quarter. She collected a pass at the top of the arc, pump faked, drove to the glass and finished with the left hand for an easy bucket.

Macie Brown had four points as the quarter winded down and Ridgeline took an insurmountable 48-21 lead into halftime.

But Hurricane didn’t go away quietly. Larsen converted a 3-point play and Addison Crandall had back-to-back buckets for Hurricane.

Abbigail Stout netted a 3-pointer and then had a bucket at the buzzer, making the score 68-37 for Ridgeline entering the final quarter.

Stout and Maryjane Erickson led the Tigers with 10 points apiece. Elisa Napoli scored eight points, Crandall finished with six and Kearney and Larsen each contributed five points to Hurricane’s cause.

Hurricane will look to get healthy before Region 10 play begins as the Tigers have been dealing with a bad bout of the flu.

Reddish expects the Tigers will use what they learned against a very good Ridgeline team.

“What we just saw on this court, chemistry and fight,” she said. 

Pine View 64, Bear River 56

The Panthers (3-4) won their second consecutive game, recovering from a 25-21 halftime deficit.

Pine View won the second half 43-31 to earn the win.

The Panthers host Mountain Crest Saturday at 1 p.m.

Crimson Cliffs 53, Logan 20

The Mustangs (1-2) picked up their first win of the year at home against the Bears.

In an odd scoring display, Crimson Cliffs stampeded to a 31-9 lead after one quarter.

Then, in the second quarter, neither team scored a single point.

The Mustangs went on to win the third quarter 15-4 before a 7-7 fourth frame completed the game’s scoring.

Crimson Cliffs had three players (Samiyah Jones, Kimber Clawson, Kenadee Richey) score eight points apiece in the victory.

The Mustangs host Green Canyon Saturday at 1 p.m.

Mountain Crest 58, Desert Hills 50

Region 11’s Mustangs led the Thunder 20-14 after the first quarter and upped that advantage to 37-26 at halftime.

Defending 4A state champion Desert Hills slipped to 2-3 to open their title defense.

Desert Hills hosts Logan Saturday at 1 p.m.

Sky View 39, Cedar 30

The Reds fell to 0-3 on the campaign after the low-scoring defeat at home.

Kiara Hansen led Cedar with her 14-point effort.

Cedar hosts Bear River Saturday at 1 p.m. 

Green Canyon 74, Snow Canyon 61

The Warriors lost their second consecutive game against a Region 11 opponent, falling at home to the Wolves.

Snow Canyon (4-2) clung to a 14-13 lead after the first quarter and upped its advantage to 36-29 at halftime.

But the Wolves (4-2) came back with an 18-15 third quarter and dominated the fourth quarter 27-10 to secure the victory.

Snow Canyon hosts Ridgeline Saturday at 1:00 p.m.

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