Lady Hawks fall to Grantsville in first round of playoffs to lose, 62-43
Matt Harris
Staff writer
2-23-2017
GRANTSVILLE—The Lady Hawks season came to a close last week with a loss to Grantsville in the first round of the 3A playoffs.
Unable to overcome a variety of obstacles in the game, the North Sanpete girls basketball team met their season’s end at the hands of the Cowgirls, 62-43. The team has not won in the playoffs in three years.
“We came and played really well for about 26 minutes,” head coach Randi Griffith said. “We had a six-minute letdown defensively in the third quarter that they were able to capitalize on, and it really hurt us and our chances in the game. The score does not show the whole picture of the game. We had them very nervous. It just ran away from us at the end.”
North Sanpete held a two-point lead at the end of the first quarter before the Cowgirls hit back in the second to get a lead by three into halftime. That was when the meltdown began. Midway through a still competitive third quarter, junior Catherine Lund sustained an injury to her ankle that required courtside attention.
Taking advantage of the gaping hole in North Sanpete’s interior defense, Grantsville went on a 15-0 run. The Lady Hawks were already playing without starter Abby Smith, who was injured last week against Canyon View. The Cowgirls never let up after that, extending their lead in the fourth quarter en route to the victory.
Lund led the Lady Hawks in scoring with 15 points.
The Lady Hawks end their season with a 6-16 record that testifies to the numerous struggles this team has fought through. During this season, North Sanpete suffered injuries to three of their starters and a nine-game losing streak. Seniors Angela Clayton and Smith both missed significant time with injuries during the season, while Lund had been sidelined for several games due to a concussion.
“I am incredibly proud of this group of girls and their efforts this year,” Griffith said. “It has been a very rough year full of adversity, but this group came to practice every day with positive attitudes and incredible work ethic. It is very rare to coach a group that comes up against the adversity they faced and doesn’t quit on each other and continues to work to get better. It shows what incredible character they have. They refused to let adversity be an excuse for them and continued to work and get better.”
