Lehi Sports
Falcon girls start 3-1 in hoops
Beky Beaton / Lehi Free Press
The Skyridge High School girls basketball team lost their top returning player to an injury before the season even got started, but they have competed well in their early pre-region contests, earning a 3-1 record so far.
Nov. 21: Skyridge 67, West Jordan 41
The Falcons came out hot on the road against the Jaguars, outscoring them 20-7 in the initial quarter. The other three periods were a little closer, but Skyridge won them all on the way to a dominant victory with the help of a hyperactive defense that yielded 22 steals in the contest.
A pair of up-and-coming youngsters led the effort as sophomore Elena Chiara scored 15 points with seven rebounds, three assists and three steals while sophomore guard Hallee Sheffield added 12 points, four boards, two assists and five steals.
Senior guard Abby Dotson netted 10 points and senior forward Aiden Beck canned a pair of treys among her eight points along with four rebounds. Senior forward Ariane Moeai turned in an active floor game with four points, three boards, five steals and two blocked shots.
Nov. 25: Skyridge 65, Timpview 47
In their home opener, the Falcons struggled to find the hoop in the second quarter and fell behind the Thunderbirds at the half 27-30, but they came roaring back after the break to outscore their opponents 38-17 the rest of the way for another big win.
This time the spotlight was on senior guard Lily Grant, who shot 67 percent for the night. She sank three triples and finished with 17 points, while Chiara added 11 with three rebounds, six assists and four steals. Seven other players also scored in the game and the team sank eight shots from long distance.
Dotson furnished nine points with three boards, Sheffield scored eight with four rebounds, three assists and four steals, Beck had five points with four boards, and freshman guard Nalei Nelson added five points plus three steals.
Moeai had another solid all-around game where she provided four points with seven rebounds, three assists and three steals.
“I loved our effort in our first two games,” said Coach Shaylee Nielsen. “The girls are playing hard and together. We have things to clean up and sharpen, but the nice thing is we don’t have to work on effort, which I love.
“Girls are all finding different ways to contribute and impact the game and we have had a balanced scoring attack,” the coach said. “The next few games will be really good challenges for us.”
Dec. 2: Skyridge 63, Copper Hills 59
The back-and-forth contest with the Grizzlies went down to the wire. The Falcons had a 17-12 lead after the first quarter at home but trailed 30-31 at the break. They worked to a 49-42 advantage entering the final period. Copper Hills inched closer down the stretch but couldn’t quite close the gap.
Chiara sparked the win with 23 points plus three assists and a block. Sheffield turned in a good overall effort with 15 points, seven rebounds, five assists and three steals. Grant added 13 points and four steals while Dotson scored six with four boards.
Dec. 4: Westlake 54, Skyridge 45
At home, the Falcons fell by single digits to the 6A No. 3 Thunder. Westlake outscored the home squad by just a single bucket in each quarter to add up to the final spread.
Sheffield led the effort with 12 points, four rebounds, four assists and five steals for a good all-around outing. Dotson added 11 points while Beck scored nine with four boards. Grant posted five points and three rebounds. Junior guard Leah Arnell made three assists.
The Falcons will host Pleasant Grove, the top-ranked team in the state, on Tuesday (Dec. 9). They will play two road games to end the week at 6A No. 4 Bingham on Thursday (Dec. 11) and at Riverton on Friday (Dec. 12). Tipoff for all of these contests is set for at 7 p.m.
