Lady Hawks late-season wins qualify them for state

      CEDAR CITY—Despite a tough season, the Lady Hawks finished the regular season strong and are moving on.

      North Sanpete’s girls basketball team halted a three-game losing streak with another win over winless Canyon View, this one coming from behind in a 41-37 victory. The Lady Hawks moved to 2-6 in region play, enough to qualify for the 3A state tournament.

      “We came out a little slow defensively,” head coach Randi Griffith said. “We gave them too many easy looks early in the game. At halftime, they really committed to fixing the defensive effort, and we played a lot better in the second half. It was a very physical hard fought game, and the girls were able to keep their composure and finish with a win.”

      The Lady Hawks nearly relinquished a seventh region loss to the Lady Falcons but got back in the game and took the lead in the fourth quarter, never looking back in the 14-8 final quarter tilt.

Senior Angela Clayton had her best game in a long time, finally at full strength after a long injury break and some playing limitations. Clayton led all scorers with 17 points, while Linzy Flinders chipped in eight. Clayton’s three-pointers, three of them, played a big role in the winning margin as both offense relatively matched each other on production.

“She shot the ball well,” Griffith said, “which was a huge boost to our team, and it was a lot of fun to see someone overcome a large injury and play at such a high level.”

                The Lady Hawks are 6-15 on the season and are in the first round of the state playoffs. They will be on the road to face Grantsville, who are 20-2 on their season and the No. 3-ranked team in 3A. They claimed the region title in region 10 this season. Game time is slated for Saturday at 7 p.m.