Lehi Sports
Pioneer girls go 2-1 in late December hoops contests
Beky Beaton / Lehi Free Press
The Lehi High School girls basketball team dropped a nail-biter on the road but bounced back with a pair of victories to finish out the calendar year with a 9-4 overall mark.
Dec. 16: Springville 47, Lehi 45
The Pioneers were stymied offensively in the first half against the Red Devils at Springville, falling behind 14-31 at the half. Lehi returned to the court with energy and flipped the script, outscoring the hosts 31-16 the rest of the way but couldn’t get the one more basket they needed to pull even.
Seven players scored for the Pioneers but all of them in single digits. Freshman guard Brinley Sorensen topped the list with nine points and three rebounds while senior guard Brynlee Cook provided eight points with three boards and three assists.
Sophomore post Kelcee Rasmussen added seven points with a game-high 16 rebounds and a blocked shot. Senior forward Madi Ogden also had seven points.
Scoring six points apiece, sophomore guard Cali Ashton had five boards as well and junior forward Paisley Worthen garnered four rebounds and a pair of steals.
“The first half was a struggle for us on both sides of the ball being down two starters (Madi Andrews and Hayden Warren),” said Coach Sean Seastrand. “We were down 19 at one point in the third, so I’m proud of the girls for sticking with it and staying positive.
“We had a great second half and brought it all the way back with a chance to tie at the very end and fell just short,” he said. “Springville is a really well-coached team and it was a tough loss for us, but we figured out some things for the girls in our group that will help moving forward.”
Dec. 19: Lehi 67, Manti 33
The Pioneers held the visiting Templars to single-digit scoring for three quarters and had an offensive outburst in the first half to get a 31-5 lead by the end of the first quarter and a 46-12 advantage by the break. Manti closed the gap a little against Lehi’s deep reserves at the end but never challenged.
Sorensen found some range in this contest, hitting 4-of-5 attempts from long distance and finishing with 16 points plus four rebounds. Rasmussen posted 12 points and six boards while freshman forward Camryn Bell added nine points.
Cook had a nice all-around floor game of eight points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals. Ashton scored seven with four assists. Ogden contributed five boards and three assists.
“This was a solid win for our group, getting everyone who was healthy in and playing before the break,” the coach said. “It was a good team effort and a season low on turnovers for us with three. A good win heading into the break with the time off giving us a chance to get healthy.”
Dec. 27: Lehi 43, Malad (ID) 39
The Dragons were the top-ranked team in Idaho coming into this contest, but the visiting Pioneers defended well to help them emerge with an exciting victory.
Both teams got off to a lively start, with Malad owning a one-bucket advantage of 15-12 at the end of the initial period. By contrast, the second quarter was a defensive slugfest, with Lehi failing to score a single bucket but holding the home squad to just three points as well.
The Dragons moved ahead by double digits in the third period, only to see the Pioneers surge back to overcome the deficit and hang on with tough defense in the final stanza to get the impressive win.
Cook led the way with 14 points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals. Senior forward Madi Andrews was back in action and netted 10 points with three boards. Rasmussen tallied eight points with nine rebounds and four blocks while Sorensen posted eight points and four boards.
Ogden got three rebounds and Ashton had three assists. Junior guard Hayden Warren also returned to the court and contributed to the triumph.
“This was a great win in a really tough road environment,” Seastrand said. “Malad is a very good team. They beat Fremont on the road just the week before and are a well-coached team with senior-heavy play, so we knew this would be a battle.
“I’m proud of our girls. We had a scoreless, ice-cold second quarter but stayed positive and came back from down 10 in the second half,” he continued. “I’m very proud of this win and the girls staying focused for the entirety of the game.
“We held Malad to their lowest scoring total of the season, which is becoming a common theme for our defense,” the coach concluded.
The Pioneers resume play on Tuesday (Jan. 6) in a double-header with the boys team against Weber. The varsity girls game is set for 5:15 p.m. with the boys varsity game following immediately at 7 p.m. The same times will apply when Lehi opens Region 3 play on Friday (Jan. 9) by hosting American Fork.
