OREM — It will be the Riverhawks against the Warriors for the trophy.
Ridgeline and Snow Canyon, which have been ranked No. 1 and No. 2 for pretty much the entire season, both won handily in the semifinals on Tuesday and will meet Wednesday afternoon at Utah Valley University in Orem for the 4A girls state basketball championship.
“They’re really tough and really good,” Snow Canyon’s Olivia Hamlin told St. George News.
“We’ll see how we do,” she added. “We’ll just work really hard and see what happens.”
The title game is at 3 p.m. on the campus of UVU Wednesday. Follow St. George News Sports for complete coverage and go to The Fan Sports Network to stream the game live.
Snow Canyon 62, Cedar 35
The Warriors were not going to be denied, coming out fast and sinking shots from the opening tip of Tuesday’s second semifinal game at UVU.
“We knew what we needed to do to make it happen,” junior Joey Jensen told St. George News after netting 10 points in the win. “We just know our chemistry and work together as a team pretty good. We just ran through our plays.”
Hamlin opened the game with a step-back 3 swish the first time she touched the ball. Then she set up Jensen for a score and had a nice stop-and-pop for a bucket.
Kiara Hansen stopped the run with a two inside but Cedar trailed 7-2 after one minute of play.
“We were really motivated. We knew that Cedar would be tough,” Hamlin said. “We came out harder and wanted to win and that’s what we did.”
The Warriors upped their lead to 19-7 after the first and took a 31-20 lead into halftime. Jensen opened the third quarter with a steal, then fed Hamlin in transition for an easy score.
Hamlin would go on to sink three 3-pointers and Jensen had a steal and score as Snow Canyon was ahead for good 48-30 entering the fourth quarter.
Junior Annalyse Shimada led Cedar’s effort, sinking three 3-pointers and totaling 15 points for the Reds. Tylee Nielsen made two 3’s and contributed six points in the defeat.
Senior Kiara Hansen finished her career at Cedar with six points. Kenzie Bird and Kelsi Orton each made a 3-pointer and finished with five and three points, respectively.
Cedar finished the season 19-5 and posted a second-place finish in Region 9.
Snow Canyon (24-1) capped the win with a 14-5 performance in the final quarter.
Kelly Howard contributed three 3’s for nine Snow Canyon points.
Besides the 35 points and seven 3’s, Hamlin’s line included six rebounds, eight assists and six steals.
Ridgeline advanced to the final game after a 24-point win over Payson. The Riverhawks (24-2) were never tested and got 27 points from junior Emily Skinner in the win.
Skinner made two 3-pointers, had four rebounds, six assists, four steals and a block in an all-around clinic for Ridgeline.
It seems like destiny that the top two 4A girls teams, each having the top two individual players in Utah, will decide the championship.
For Jensen, who has played alongside Hamlin and Howard for much of her life, winning never gets old.
“It’s always fun. We always put up a good show and a fun game,” she said.
Photo Gallery
Snow Canyon's Chaylee Andrews (left) and Cedar's Annalyse Shimada tip off a 4A girls state semifinal playoff game, Orem, Utah, Feb. 27, 2024 | Photo by E. George Goold, St. George News
Cedar's Annalyse Shimada looks to pass against Snow Canyon in a 4A girls state semifinal playoff game, Orem, Utah, Feb. 27, 2024 | Photo by E. George Goold, St. George News
Cedar's Kiara Hansen scores against Snow Canyon in a 4A girls state semifinal playoff game, Orem, Utah, Feb. 27, 2024 | Photo by E. George Goold, St. George News
Cedar's Tylee Nielsen dribbles against Snow Canyon in a 4A girls state semifinal playoff game, Orem, Utah, Feb. 27, 2024 | Photo by E. George Goold, St. George News
Snow Canyon's Olivia Hamlin shoots against Cedar in a 4A girls state semifinal playoff game, Orem, Utah, Feb. 27, 2024 | Photo by E. George Goold, St. George News
Snow Canyon's Olivia Hamlin chases a loose ball against Cedar in a 4A girls state semifinal playoff game, Orem, Utah, Feb. 27, 2024 | Photo by E. George Goold, St. George News
Snow Canyon's Kelly Howard dribbles against Cedar in a 4A girls state semifinal playoff game, Orem, Utah, Feb. 27, 2024 | Photo by E. George Goold, St. George News
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