Lehi Sports
Lehi girls split region hoops clashes
The Lehi girls basketball team fell to Lone Peak in the league tiebreaker but bounced back to claim a resounding victory over Pleasant Grove in two Region 3 contests at home last week.
Jan. 23: Lone Peak 64, Lehi 29
The Pioneers spotted the Knights 14 points before they were able to score even one in this battle of league unbeatens. Lone Peak led 17-5 at the end of the first quarter and the margin just continued to expand from there.
Senior guard Hadlie Warren led Lehi’s scoring with nine points. Senior post Kinly Faux added eight points and five rebounds while senior guard Addy Scrivner had six points.
“This was a tough game for us,” said Coach Sean Seastrand. “We shot poorly, and Lone Peak’s defense was really sharp. We wanted to keep them off the offensive glass, but they still hurt us there a bit.
“After a tough game like that, you just move forward and look for ways to keep getting better,” he said. “We’ll do what we can do to improve and get back to work.”
Jan. 26: Lehi 69, Pleasant Grove 46
The Pioneers got off to a fast start against the Vikings and kept the pressure on for most of the game. Lehi won the tip and Warren passed to senior guard Sammi Love for a midrange jumper just 35 seconds into the contest.
After a few fruitless exchanges, Love found senior post Kaleigh Freeman open inside for a deuce, and later added a triple herself to give the home squad a 7-0 advantage at the 4:29 mark of the first quarter.
The defense was so effective that Pleasant Grove didn’t score a field goal until there was just 54 seconds left in the period, though they did convert some free throws before that. With Love’s eight points leading the way, Lehi took a 21-8 advantage into the next stanza.
Pleasant Grove was able to reduce the margin by six points before the break, but the Pioneers steamrolled through the third quarter with a 24-11 scoring spree and went on to a comfortable victory.
Love had her most productive offensive game of the year, converting 8-of-9 (89%) field goals including six triples and finishing with 23 points, three steals and a couple of assists. Scriver netted 16 points with three rebounds, three assists and a pair of steals.
Warren added seven points, seven assists and two steals, while senior post Malia Havea scored five points with five boards and three steals. The team had 16 assists on 24 field goals and made a combined 13 steals in the contest with just eight turnovers.
“This was a great win for us tonight,” said Seastrand. “Our defense was great in the first, third and fourth quarters and that helped us get out in transition and score the ball.
“We played well against their zones and moved the ball well on offense,” the coach continued. “With them focusing on Addy Scrivner, Sammi Love found her own rhythm early and endedup as our leading scorer.
“I was especially proud of our three posts, Kaleigh Freeman, Malia Havea and Kinly Faux for the defensive job they did against PG’s star Tabi Clark,” he added.
The Pioneers (10-7, 4-1) are solidly in second place in the Region 3 standings after the first round of games. They are currently ranked No. 6 in the state RPI for Class 6A.
The league took Tuesday off and the action resumes Friday (Feb. 2) when Lehi visits American Fork. The varsity girls play at 6 p.m., with the boys game immediately following around 7:30 p.m.
