Lady Templars win 37-25 over

Lady Hawks in final game

By Joe Quackenbush

Staff writer

Feb. 15, 2018

MANTI—On Thursday, the Lady Templars finished their regular season with a decisive 37-25 win over their cross-county rival, North Sanpete.

“Our kids came here to get the win.  They played hard,” said Roger Watson, Manti head coach. “We got where we wanted to go (3A State Tournament).”

In the game, North Sanpete held Manti to four points in the first period. The key to the game for Manti happened in the second period where the Lady Templars dominated the game, scoring 18 points and holding the Hawks to three. North Sanpete clawed back into the game in the fourth period, outscoring the Lady Templars by two and adding 10 points. But it was too little, too late.

At the end, the Lady Hawk’s offensive plays struggled to find success. North Sanpete Coach Randi Griffith attributed it to a mental block, saying “They carried the weight of the world on their shoulders.”

However, with four starters returning next year, the building blocks of success have been laid.

“This is a young, young, team. I was proud of the way they reacted and fought through,” Griffith says.

Freshman center Katie Larsen led the scoring for the Lady Templars with 10 points. Kassidy Alder, another freshman had two fast-break layups. Teammates Avalin Cook, Ashton Wood, Kjerstin Birch, Amie Squire and Auri Squire also contributed to the Lady Templar win.

On Tuesday, the Lady Templars lost to South Sevier 33-61 at Monroe. The Lady Rams are ranked third in the region.

The Lady Templars will face first-ranked Grantsville at the 3A State Tournament on tomorrow at 3:10 p.m. at Wasatch High School in Heber City.  Manti goes into the game with a record of 2-10 in league play; Grantsville comes in at 7-1.