1A girls basketball: Piute soars into the 1A semifinals

RICHFIELD — Piute beat Monument Valley in the quarterfinals of the 1A girls' basketball tournament on Thursday morning, but it wasn't easy.

The Cougars made several runs at the T-birds in the 64-54 matchup.

"We beat a really, really great team today," said Piute coach Tim Westwood. "They are a team of runs and it's hard to stop them when they get the momentum going. They haven't lost a lot of games this year."

Monument Valley led early in the game, going up 10-7 early in the first quarter. Piute's girls were able to go on an 11-point run in the final two minutes of the quarter to capture an 18-10 edge.

Monument Valley's scrappiness came through as the second period started with Ervianne Cly draining a downtowner — one of three she'd make during the game. Then Jamika Nelson fired off a pair of buckets from the paint, pulling the Cougars to within one point with 5:08 to go in the half.

“We beat a really, really great team today.”

Piute coach Tim Westwood

"Our girls really had to play their hearts out and dig in," Westwood said. He said Piute's defense had to step up as guards Vanessa Delgado, Alysen Talbot and Heidi Jensen started ratcheting up the pressure through the third quarter.

Piute's offense also started firing on all cylinders, even as team leader Jordyn Kennedy, who totaled 18 points, ran into some foul trouble.

"She battled through it and was able to make some key baskets for us," Westwood said.

The plan worked as Piute was able to start pulling ahead, capturing a 13-point edge by the end of the third stanza.

However, the Cougars weren't finished. Cly and Skylar Bedoni both hit 3-pointers late in the fourth quarter, while Nelson added two more field goals, pulling Monument Valley to within seven points with approximately a minute left in the game.

"We were just a little scared," Westwood said.

As time started ticking down, Piute was sent to the line where Anna Wilde and Delgado both hit foul shots to help cement the win. They also both finished the game with 12 points each. Jensen posted 10.

Cly led all scoring players with 22 points for the Cougars. Nelson contributed 18 to the Monument Valley effort.

Piute's girls next face Rich Friday at 5:30 p.m. at the Sevier Valley Center in Richfield.

"Rich is a strong team," Westwood said. "They are very well coached and disciplined."

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