MANTI—The Lady Templars start to the new season was perhaps a bit more stressful than they had hoped for.
A few days after being completely overwhelmed in their home opener by a powerful Grantsville squad, 85-46, last Tuesday, the Manti girls’ basketball team outlasted visiting Draper APA, 77-69, at home in an overtime game on Thursday. Manti moved to 1-1 overall in the first week of play and lost their season opener for the third straight year.
Grantsville’s offense was a firestorm as the Cowgirls made 30 total field goals, including six 3-pointers, in the blowout. Not only was it the most points Grantsville had scored in a game since 2004, but it was also the most points allowed in a single game by any Manti team coached by Brennon Schweikart. Grantsville shot up to a 21-6 first quarter lead and led 42-23 at halftime.
On the offensive side, junior Charlee Mandel led the Templars with 11 points as all players struggled to find the basket for Manti.
Last Thursday, Manti continued struggling to defend as the 69 points allowed were more than they had allowed in any game last season. However, their offense was roaring, and they needed every bit of it in a wild game.
From the first tip, both Draper APA and the Lady Templars were running full-court offenses with quick possessions, and the trend continued throughout the entire game. Neither team built a lead larger than five points in regulation.
In the final minute of the fourth quarter, the Eagles extended their lead to 63-59. With under 30 seconds remaining, the Templars sank a pair of free throws to make it a 2-point game. The Eagles had a 3-point lead with five seconds left after another free throw.
On the final play of regulation, with no timeouts, junior Heidi Jorgensen took possession, streaked down court, and threw up a running shot from far behind the top of the key, banking it in as time expired to send it to overtime amid a loud and mesmerized Manti student section.
In overtime, the Templars took over completely, outscoring the frustrated Eagles, 13-5, in the four-minute period to seal the dramatic win. Both Jorgensen and senior Sharlie Alder scored 20 points. Jorgensen was on fire from the arc as she made five 3-pointers.
The win marked Schweikart’s first-ever overtime win as a head coach, as he was previously 0-2 in overtime contests with Manti.
The Lady Templars are on the road against Emery this Tuesday. They’ll then be off until the first week of December.
