Lady Templars strong early in week,
before losing twice
By Matt Harris
Staff writer
12-26-2019
MANTI—The Lady Templars looked solid in their first two games against region foes last week, but a disappointing showing at the Central Utah Basketball Preview put a damper on their good play.
Manti girls’ hoops beat Juab, 37-32, and crushed Maeser Prep, 64-14, to start Region 14 with a 2-0 record. The team then participated in the Preview, and although the Lady Templars played top-ranked South Sevier to overtime, the train came off the rails in overtime in a 59-46 loss. Manti then followed up the loss with another defeat at the hands of the Emery Spartans, 49-36.
Coach Brennon Schweikart was exceptionally optimistic after the tough weekend outing.
“I thought it was our best game all season,” Schweikart said concerning the loss to South Sevier. “We played really well and showed that we can play with anyone in the state. It was a great week of basketball for Manti. I am extremely excited moving forward as we continue region play.”
In the two region games, Manti capped off a four-game winning streak with solid victories.
Against Juab, Manti pulled it out in an intense defensive battle by running up the score in the first quarter, 17-12, and stuffing the Juab offense for three quarters. Junior Allie Bridges led the team with 15 points, and junior Katie Larsen grabbed 10 rebounds.
Against Maeser Prep, the Lady Templars ran over the home team in their highest-scoring game of the season so far. Having 10 different players score in the game, Manti held Maeser Prep scoreless in the first quarter for an 18-0 lead early. They led 25-2 at halftime. Senior Brook Barson led the team with 14 points, and Larsen chipped in 11 points and 9 rebounds.
Things were looking as positive as they possibly could in the first half of action between Manti and South Sevier. Manti ended the half with a big lead, 27-17, after outscoring the Lady Rams, 20-9, in the second quarter. South Sevier slowly chipped away the lead and managed to tie it just in time to tack on an extra period.
The final five minutes after regulation, South Sevier seemed to remember that they were supposed to be the best team in 3A, and they quickly and mercilessly dismantled Manti, 15-2 to run away with the game.
Junior Kassidy Alder led the team with 13 points. The Lady Templars were at a huge disadvantage in foul shooting, only making 3-7 attempts while the Lady Rams made 21-36 attempts.
Manti hits the road for the last game of 2019 against American Leadership this Saturday.
