Lady Hawks get wins, but starting forward is injured in game
By Matt Harris
Staff writer
12-22-2016
RICHFIELD—For the Lady Hawks, the sweet taste of victory came with a bitter aftertaste.
The North Sanpete girls basketball team came away with two wins and a loss last week, but their success was marred by the injury of their starting forward, senior Angela Clayton, during the Lady Hawks’ 43-35 win against Delta last Tuesday, Dec. 13.
The Lady Hawks controlled the tempo of the game against the Lady Rabbits for all four quarters, only slightly letting Delta back into it near the end of the game. It was against Delta that Clayton went up for the ball, only to have her shoulder jarred out of its socket. It was the second time that Clayton dislocated her arm this year.
Senior Catherine Lund led the Lady Hawks with 17 points, hitting two three-pointers in the game.
“We’ve had a rough couple of years with Delta in the past,” head coach Randi Griffith said. “It was good to finally get over the hump of beating them. I was pleased with how our girls continued to battle.”
With Clayton out indefinitely, North Sanpete entered the 3A-2A Preview tournament without arguably it’s best player.
The struggle showed early against Kanab last Friday. Challenged to establish their identity, the Lady Hawks were held scoreless in the second quarter and went into halftime down 20-9.
“With Kanab, we came out questioning ourselves,” Griffith said. “At halftime, we realized we could still be a good team with her leadership on the sidelines.”
That good team came out of the locker room and all the way back against the Cowgirls, outscoring them 11-2 in the third quarter to draw within two, and then putting it away with a 20-point fourth quarter for the 40-36 comeback win. This time, it was sophomore Lexie Olson who led the charge with 13 points.
As good as it felt, the reality sank in the next day when North Sanpete dropped their second contest of the tournament to North Sevier, 44-35. Despite another 17-point performance from Lund, the Lady Hawks could not withstand a pair of sisters on North Sevier combining for 30 points. The Lady Hawks also could not find a way through the Lady Wolves’ full-court defense, surrendering countless turnovers.
“We missed Clayton’s level-headedness against a pressure defense,” Griffith said.
Griffith says that the team is hoping to have Clayton back by January.
The Lady Hawks played at Payson yesterday (score unavailable), and are now preparing for next week when they will participate in the Steve Hodson Cancer Classic in Cedar City. Between next Wednesday and Friday, North Sanpete will face Snow Canyon, Pine View, and Grantsville, in that order.
