Lehi Sports
Pioneer girls win Region 3 opener
After splitting their final two preseason contests, the Lehi High School girls basketball team prevailed in a high-scoring battle at American Fork to get the first Region 3 win.
Dec. 30: Lehi 42, Springville 36
Both teams had a hard time finding the basket early against active defenses. The Pioneers led just 7-4 after the initial period and were up 19-13 at the break. That margin held up to the end as the teams dueled even in the second half.
Junior guard Brynlee Cook led a balanced offense with nine points and three rebounds. Freshman post Kelcee Rasmussen gave Lehi a big boost with eight points and 12 boards plus two blocked shots.
Senior wing Ellie Hill posted seven points with seven rebounds and two blocks while sophomore guard Hayden Warren got six points and senior guard Mckenzie Jepson put together a nice floor game with six points, four assists and three steals.
“This was a really solid win at home tonight against a very good Springville team,” said Coach Sean Seastrand. “Coach Averett is one of the best coaches in the state for sure and their team is always tough and disciplined, so I’ll take this win anytime.
“Springville took away our threes and held us to a season low one 3-pointer, but I thought our girls showed they’re capable of attacking the rim as well and did a great job in the paint tonight,” he added. “It was another well-rounded scoring night for our group with five players scoring six or more each.”
Jan. 3: Payson 49, Lehi 48 (OT)
The Pioneers started very slow on the road and the Lions raced ahead 17-4 by the end of the first quarter. The teams played the middle two periods basically even, but Lehi mounted a furious comeback in the fourth quarter to end regulation in a tie. Payson got the one-point win in extra time.
Hill led the effort with 11 points and three boards while Jepson tallied 10 points with three rebounds and five assists. Senior wing Lily Worthen contributed eight points with three boards.
Rasmussen had a big night in the paint with seven points, 11 rebounds, three assists and four blocks. Cook had seven points and four steals and Warren posted five boards and five assists.
“This was a tough loss,” Seastrand said. “We got down by as much as 17 in the first half. We were playing well but just couldn’t get our shots to go. I told them to just keep playing and shooting.
“Our shots started to fall late and we rallied from down double figures in the fourth to tie it with under a minute to play,” he continued.
“The overtime just came down to a couple of plays. We got up one. Then them. We had a shot at the very end that rimmed out. I was really proud of our girls continuing to play hard all game,” the coach concluded.
Jan. 10: Lehi 62, American Fork 52
On the road, the Pioneers battled through three back-and-forth periods with the energized Cavemen, who led 17-13 at the end of the first quarter and were trailing by just a single bucket going into the break and again entering the final stanza.
The game turned on a pair of back-to-back treys by Jepson early in the fourth with assists from sophomore post Paisley Worthenand Cook, giving her team a seven-point spread. Lehi’s defensive pressure and continued offensive execution the rest of the way pulled out the victory.
Hill burned the nets for a game-high 19 points including four triples along with eight rebounds to lead out in the win. Jepson added 12 points with five boards and three assists, while Cook posted 11 points and three assists. The team earned a 10-4 margin in shots from long distance for the night.
Freshman guard Cali Ashton netted eight points. Warren provided four points, four rebounds and three assists and Rasmussen had three boards and three assists.
“Any win in region is big no matter how you get it,” Seastrand said. “I’m really proud of our girls grinding out a win against a very scrappy AF team. Aimee Dorais always gets the most out of her teams. She’s one of the best coaches in the girls game in the state.
“I challenged our girls in the fourth quarter to pick up their rebounding and defense and down the stretch they were able todo that,” he said. “Our seniors Kenzie Jepson and Ellie Hill helped us stay composed on offense. Those two and Brynlee Cook made some huge baskets down the stretch.”
The Pioneers (9-5, 1-0) continue the Region 3 season by welcoming Westlake (9-4, 1-0) on Tuesday (Jan. 14). They will host Skyridge (7-7, 0-1) on Friday (Jan. 17) and visit Lone Peak (9-5, 1-0) on Tuesday (Jan. 21). The girls play at 6 p.m. followed by the boys around 7:30.
