Lady Tigers blowout Draper, 70-32,

giving them 12-3 record in region play

By Matt Harris

Staff  writer

1-30-2020

MT. PLEASANT—The Lady Tigers made last week’s “first vs. second” matchup in Region 15 seem a great deal less competitive than fans would have hoped.

Wasatch Academy girls’ basketball team wiped the floor with Draper APA on the road, 70-32, last Tuesday in a matchup between the top two teams in the region. The Lady Tigers’ record moved to 12-3 as they solidified themselves as an unbeatable force in their region.

“Draper APA played well as the second-ranked team in Region 15,” Coach Travis Madsen said. “We fell short defensively in the first half, but the team rallied with the halftime adjustments to play excellent defense in the third and fourth quarters. This was a big win for us. We are in good position to win Region 15 and hopefully enter the state tournament with a good seed.”

Wasatch Academy’s offense never slowed down, but the hosting APA Eagles kept up reasonably with them in the first half. Wasatch only led by 8 points at halftime rather than the usual 20-plus.

That’s when Madsen’s adjustments went to work. The Tigers held Draper APA to 5 points in the entire second half, scoreless in the fourth, and proceeded to drop another 35 points en route to the big win.

While junior Nataly Dunka led in scoring with 21 points, senior Duda Raimondo easily had the best night of the game, and possibly of her career with Wasatch. Raimondo scored 19 points, grabbed 23 rebounds, dished out 3 assists and collected 9 steals, just short of a triple-double.

Junior Olivia Jessee also chipped in 17 points.

The Lady Tigers played Freedom Prep Tuesday and are on the road tonight against Merit Academy. They’ll have a huge non-region game at home against Beaver tomorrow night, and they play RSL Academy next Tuesday.