Region 10 girls basketball: Warriors stay unbeaten; Thunder and Reds both win at home

ST. GEORGE — While the Snow Canyon Warriors might be running away with the Region 10 girls basketball title, the teams battling for second-place right behind them are all making it interesting.

The Warriors picked up another win Tuesday night while Desert Hills and Cedar both won at home, as action on the hardwood moved into the second game of the second half of the region’s regular-season schedule.

Following are recaps of Tuesday night’s Region 10 girls basketball contests:

Desert Hills 44, Hurricane 41

The Thunder rallied for their second consecutive win at home after junior Ashtin Hansen scored nine consecutive points at the end of the fourth quarter to secure the victory.

“We wanted it really bad,” Hansen told St. George News after the win. “We worked really well as a team. Each of us contributed during the fourth.”    

Desert Hills’ Kaitlyn Andrus dribbles against Hurricane in a Region 10 girls basketball game, St. George, Utah, Jan. 31, 2023 | Photo by E. George Goold, St. George News

Both squads are chasing Dixie in a tight race for second-place in Region 10 and the game was in doubt until the final buzzer.

Addison Crandall scored seven of her team-high 15 points in the first quarter and the visitors from Hurricane took a 12-8 lead.

But then in the second quarter Desert Hills’ aerial assault took over as Brynlee Mortensen, Kaitlyn Andrus and Jenna Brown all sank 3-pointers and the defending 4A state champs battled to a slim 19-18 edge at halftime.

Abby Stout scored a 3-ball and Crandall was good for two more buckets as the Tigers clawed back to take their own one point advantage, 32-31, going into the final quarter of play.

Nizhoni Dominguez scored a bank shot from the post and Hurricane saw its biggest lead, 39-33, with 4:45 left to play.

And the stage was for Hansen. Her first 3-pointer cut the Tigers’ lead in half.

On the next Thunder possession, Hansen threw in a 3-ball from almost the exact same spot in front of the Thunder bench and the home team knotted the score 39-39.

Another defensive stop turned the ball back to the Thunder offense and Hansen would not be denied. She rebounded her own miss, put it back for two and got fouled.

Her free throw put the home team ahead for good 42-39 and both teams exchanged a pair of free throws to provide the final margin.  

“We’re a really tough, fighting team. We like to push to the end,” Hansen said after scoring a game-high 17. “It’s a really good group of girls.” 

Hannah Heaton and Andrus each contributed eight points for the winners.

Desert Hills plays next at Crimson Cliffs on Thursday, Feb. 2 at 7 p.m. Hurricane has a bye that night.

Snow Canyon 61, Pine View 46

The unbeaten leaders of Region 10 were in a battle after one quarter at the Pit, tied with the Panthers 15-15.

But a dominant second quarter left the Warriors with a comfortable 35-20 lead at halftime.

The home team rallied in the third and cut the deficit to 10, 46-36, entering the final session.

Snow Canyon’s Natalie Olson led all scorers in the contest with 16 points. Olivia Hamlin scored 14 and Kelly Howard sank three 3-pointers and tallied 13 points for the winners.

Meanwhile the Panthers were paced by Reese Gustin’s 14 points. Casey Morley scored 11 and Ellie Norton contributed 10 points to the Panthers cause including three 3-pointers.

Snow Canyon hosts Cedar Thursday, Feb. 2 at 7 p.m. while Pine View stays at home for a game against Dixie at that same time.

Cedar 34, Crimson Cliffs 26

Despite scoring just nine points in the first half, the Cedar Reds came on strong in the second half to defeat the Crimson Cliffs Mustangs, 34-26.

Cedar hosts Crimson Cliffs, Region 10 girls basketball, Cedar City, Utah, Jan. 31, 2023 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

The Mustangs started off by leading 8-3 after a turnover-filled first quarter and 14-9 at halftime.

However, Cedar went on an 11-2 run to start the third period, with the Reds taking their first lead on a 3-pointer by sophomore Annalyse Shimada that made it 18-16. Senior guard Kasia Davis then swished a pair of free throws to cap off the run, putting Cedar up 20-16.

The Reds went on to lead by three points at the end of the third, 23-20.

Freshman guard Gabby Gomez made a 3-pointer to start the fourth quarter to give the Reds a 26-20 lead, but Crimson’s Summer Adams scored two quick layups during a 6-0 run for the Mustangs to tie the game at 26 with just over six minutes left.

Remarkably, the Mustangs never scored again. The Reds soon regained their six-point advantage, thanks to a pair of clutch 3-pointers by Shimada and Mya Bishoff. 

Cedar hosts Crimson Cliffs, Region 10 girls basketball, Cedar City, Utah, Jan. 31, 2023 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

That was followed by a 15-footer from the key by Gomez, pushing the Reds’ lead to eight points with about four minutes to go.

That lead proved to be more than enough, as both teams went scoreless the rest of the way.

“We were 3-for-19 in the first half, but our defense kept us in the game,” Cedar head coach Corry Nielsen told St. George News afterward. “Even though we got off to a slow start, we were only down by five at the half, and our girls knew that if we just came in and executed, hit some open shots, we’d be OK.”

Shimada scored nine of her game-high 10 points in the second half by drilling three 3-pointers, all at opportune moments. Also hitting well-timed shots were Gomez, who scored eight points, and fellow freshman Bishoff, who finished with six.

Crimson Cliffs was paced by senior Samiyah Jones’ nine points, with Adams adding seven.

Both teams struggled to make baskets, with Cedar shooting just 12-for-42 from the field and Crimson making 10-of-50 field goals. Cedar converted 5-of-14 free throws, while the Mustangs were 5-for-20.

Cedar also committed 18 turnovers to Crimson’s seven, but the Reds held a 31-24 rebounding advantage and also recorded nine assists to the Mustangs’ six.

Cedar next plays at Snow Canyon on Thursday at 7 p.m., while Crimson hosts Desert Hills.

– written by Jeff Richards

Region 10 girls basketball standings, as of Feb. 1

  1. Snow Canyon 8-0 (13-5)
  2. Dixie 5-2 (11-6)
  3. Desert Hills 5-3 (9-9)
  4. Hurricane 3-5 (3-11)
  5. Cedar 3-5 (3-13)
  6. Pine View 2-5 (6-12)
  7. Crimson Cliffs 1-7 (2-11)

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