Lehi People
Lehi girls open region with clutch hoops win
With the game hanging in the balance, the Lehi girls basketball team made a several important plays in the final minute in front of a big crowd to secure a thrilling victory in the Region 3 opener.
Jan. 12: Lehi 42, American Fork 39
Points were often hard to come by in this defensive battle of well-matched teams. They scored a combined 11 points in the first 1:20 of clock time, but the Cavemen led just 10-9 at the close of the initial period. After an even slower second quarter, the Pioneers were up 17-15 at the break.
The action warmed up a bit in the second half as Lehi got buckets from four different players, including treys from senior guards Sammi Love and Addy Scrivner, on the way to a 29-21 advantage entering the final period.
However, American Fork cut into the gap with the long ball and the margin was just one point with 1:27 remaining.
Senior post Malia Havea made a steal to deny the Cavemen a shot. On the other end, Scrivner grabbed an offensive board and was fouled. She made both of her free throws and then deflected one final attempt by American Fork to secure the win.
Scrivner was the focus of the opposing defense but still managed to net 13 points with three rebounds, four assists, four steals and a block. Love added 11 points including three triples along withfour boards, three assists and a steal as both played solid all-around floor games.
Senior post Kaleigh Freeman added eight points and three steals while senior post McKinly Faux collected three rebounds and Havea made three steals. The team had 11 assists on 14 field goals and made a combined 16 steals in the contest.
“This was a fun game to start region,” said Coach Sean Seastrand. “I give lots of credit to AF and Coach Dorais. They had a great plan and played as hard and as tough as any team we’ve faced.
“Our last six games have all come down to the wire and I feel like those experiences paid off tonight as we made just enough plays down the stretch to get the win,” the coach said. “That’s the value of pre-season games.
“Addy Scrivner finished the final 20 seconds of the game with a huge offensive rebound, two free throws, and blocked their last shot. That was a clutch finish from her, and our team played great defense on the final few possessions to help us pull it out,” Seastrand concluded.
The Pioneers (7-6) continue the Region 3 season on the road this week. They play at Westlake Tuesday (Jan. 16) and at SkyridgeFriday (Jan. 19). The varsity girls play at 6 p.m., with the boys game immediately following around 7:30 p.m.
