Lehi Sports
Lehi girls finish a strong 2nd in Region 3
The Lehi girls basketball team wrapped up the regular season last week with a road loss to league champion Lone Peak followed by a big win at Pleasant Grove.
The Pioneers finished the regular season as the consensus No. 5 team in Class 6A with a 14-8 overall record. Lehi finished second in Region 3 by two games at 8-2.
Feb. 13: Lone Peak 63, Lehi 43
The Pioneers played much better against the league’s top team in this second-round meeting but couldn’t find an answer for the opponent’s superior size and suffocating defense.
The Knights asserted themselves quickly and jumped ahead 10-1 before the first quarter was even halfway done. That margin grew to 22-8 by the end of the period.
However, the teams battled toe-to-toe for the next two quarters. Lehi got the deficit down to nine points with five minutes to go in the third, but Lone Peak responded. Each squad scored 26 during that two-period stretch, leaving Lone Peak with the same14-point advantage entering the fourth.
The lead hovered within a point or two of that for much of the final quarter. The Pioneers had a couple of chances to cut it to 10 but missed the tries and the Knights padded the final score with some late buckets to make the win look more comfortable.
Senior guard Addy Scrivner led the Lehi effort with 15 points including two triples plus four rebounds. Senior post Malia Havea added five points with five boards while senior post Kaleigh Freeman scored five points with four rebounds.
Senior guard Sammi Love also had five points and so did junior guard Phoenix Sweat off the bench. Senior guard Hadlie Warrenmade four assists.
“This was a tough road loss for us, but it was a positive inasmuch that we learned some things that will help us moving forward,” said Coach Sean Seastrand. “We were competitive for longer stretches than the first matchup and I think at times even frustrated them and forced them out of their comfort zone.
“We got a chance to see what level we need to be at to compete with the top in 6A,” he said. “Our girls and myself and our staff are feeling good about our progress and the opportunities we have ahead still to improve.”
Feb. 16: Lehi 63, Pleasant Grove 38
The Pioneers started hot at Pleasant Grove. In the first 1:35, they got triples from Scrivner and Love plus a layup from Freeman for an 8-0 advantage and they never looked back. Lehi led 19-8 at the end of the first quarter, 30-17 at the half, and 48-24 entering the fourth period.
Scrivner finished the regular season with 28 points, including 4-of-6 (67%) from long distance and 6-of-7 (86%) from the line. She also had three rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Freeman posted a double-double with 13 points and 11 boards.Love scored seven points with five rebounds and junior forward Ellie Hill added five points with three boards.
Junior guard McKenzie Jepson contributed four points with three rebounds, two assists and three blocks while Warren had four assists and two steals. Havea and senior post McKinly Faux grabbed three boards each.
“This was a great road win against PG on their senior night,” Seastrand said. “Our defense was really good again. We’ve been able to really cause problems for teams recently with our defense. It’s good timing to end the regular season feeling like our defense is peaking.
“We had a great game sharing the ball as well and once again our defense helped our offense get going,” he added. “Addy had another big night and Kaleigh Freeman gave us a double-double.”
Skyridge (12-10, 4-6) came in at No. 12 in the state RPI after an injury-hampered season and so they are matched against the Pioneers in the second round of the state tournament. The teams will meet at Lehi on Thursday (Feb. 22) at 7 p.m.
“We’re excited about the chance to have a local playoff game with Skyridge,” Seastrand said. “It should be a great game.”
