Falcon girls end season to top seed Grizzlies in semis

The No. 12 Skyridge girls basketball team gave No. 1 seed Copper Hills (25-1) a great fight in the 6A state semifinals on Wednesday (Feb. 28), but the Grizzlies put together what they needed down the stretch to pocket the 52-45 victory and advance to the title contest.

Copper Hills got a bit of a lead early in the game, but the Falcons didn’t panic and worked their way to a one-bucket gap of 11-13 at the conclusion of the first period. They stayed within reach as the Grizzlies led 26-21 at the half and 36-30 entering the final quarter.

The defense-dominated game kept the score down but both teams picked up the offensive pace in the last period. A huge triple from senior forward Sadie Buttars pulled her team within one point at 45-46 with 1:20 remining on the clock.

However, the Skyridge players couldn’t get any of their shots to fall after that and Copper Hills sank a trey and three free throws in the final 48 seconds to get the win.

Buttars led the Falcons with 11 points and three rebounds off the bench. Senior guard Shae Toole added 10 points with four assists and senior guard Cambree Blackham concluded her fine prep career with seven points, five boards and two steals. The team finished with a 14-11 record.

For more details, photos and interviews on this game, check out the March 7 issue of the Lehi Free Press.

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