Lady Templars beat Lady Hawks,
both teams lose in other region games
By James Tilson
Staff writer
Jan. 25, 2018
MANTI—In a spirited, high-energy rivalry girls basketball game, the Lady Templars of Manti High School prevailed 47-33 over the Lady Hawks of North Sanpete High School in a Region 15 game last Thursday.
Both teams came out flying and playing stingy defense.
As a result, neither team’s offense could get on track at first. Midway through the first quarter, Manti’s Avalin Cook took over and started driving and shooting.
By the end of the quarter, Cook had scored seven of Manti’s eight points on the way to an 8-1 lead.
Cook’s effort turned in to offensive success for the Lady Templars as they found their outside touch.
Meanwhile, the Lady Hawks had a horrid shooting night in the first half, as attempt after attempt bounced off the rim.
North Sanpete’s coach, Randi Griffith, acknowledged the emotion of the game may have gotten to her players: “This was a game that our girls knew if they played well, they had a great chance of winning. They put a lot of pressure on themselves to make everything, do everything.”
The Lady Hawks improved in the second quarter, and at halftime Manti was up by 14 points, 22-8.
At the start of the second half, Manti’s offense became more balanced and set.
Manti’s coach, Roger Watson, said this was due to halftime adjustments: “We talked about moving the ball, getting everyone involved, not turning the ball over, trying to get the best shot we can.”
The Lady Hawks also improved after halftime. Their half-court sets starting yielding results, and the shots started falling. Griffith said, “They finally realized if we’re going to win games, we just gotta play basketball. Stop worrying about little mistakes and do whatever you can.”
In the third quarter, the Lady Hawks outscored the Lady Templars 10-9.
Rejuvenated, the Lady Hawks scrambled to make a comeback attempt.
What had been a 13-point lead for Manti at the beginning of the fourth quarter (31-18) dwindled to single digits by halfway through the quarter.
But the Lady Templars also rallied and ran their half-court sets well enough to re-establish their lead.
Both teams scored the most points in the final quarter, with Manti besting North Sanpete by only a point, 16-15.
By the end of the game, the Lady Templars could run down the clock on offense, eventually winning by 14 points, 47-33.
Watson ascribed Manti’s win to the girls’ ability to play team basketball together: “I told them they had to believe in themselves.”
Cook led all scorers with 11 points, while Tiffany Peckham led the Lady Hawks with eight points, and Sarah Oldroyd had seven.
In Manti, the Lady Templars, despite playing with great energy, fell to the Lady Rams of South Sevier on Tuesday, Jan. 16, in Region 15 action, 61-38.
Manti came out determined in the first half. However, South Sevier enjoyed a significant height advantage, which they used to jump out to an early lead.
Despite falling behind 33-17 in the first half, the Lady Templars came out with renewed purpose in the third quarter, actually outscoring the Lady Rams 10-9 for the third quarter.
But a comeback was not to be, despite the efforts of Cook, Auri Squire and Kjerstin Birch.
“I was proud of my kids,” said Watson. “They moved the ball really well and posted up better in the second half.”
Squire led the Lady Templars with nine points.
On Tuesday, Jan. 16, the Lady Hawks traveled to Richfield High School to take on the Lady Wildcats and fell 48-15.
The Lady Hawks were led by Peckham with 10 of North Sanpete’s 15 points.
The Lady Templars face San Juan tomorrow at 7 p.m. and Grand County on Saturday at 4:30 p.m., both games at Manti High School.
The Lady Hawks traveled to South Sevier on Tuesday (score unavailable) and then host Grand County tomorrow at 7 p.m. and San Juan on Saturday at 4 p.m.
