Lady Tigers finish playoffs in fourth
place falling to Millard, 50-34
By Matt Harris
Staff writer
2-27-2020
RICHFIELD—The Lady Tigers ended another season on a familiar note: a solid result yet hungering for more.
Wasatch Academy girls’ basketball advanced all the way to the semifinals of the 2A state championship tournament before falling to Millard, 50-34. The Tigers subsequently lost to Kanab, 45-40, to place fourth in state.
Coach Travis Madsen was unavailable for comment.
Senior Duda Raimondo finished against Millard with a team-high 15 points, including four 3-pointers. Junior Nataly Dunka netted 12 points.
The Tigers played their semifinal matchup without junior Olivia Jessee, who was unavailable to play due to an undisclosed engagement.
The Eagles started the game with a 3-pointer on the first possession, and Wasatch responded in kind with a 3-pointer from Dunka. It was all 3-point attempts for the first five minutes of the game with Millard going ahead 9-3.
A frightening moment occurred in the final minute and a half of the first quarter when Raimondo dove for a loose ball and had a scary landing on a Millard player’s head. The player returned to the game later.
Millard led at halftime 25-18.
After the break, Millard adjusted their defense to completely focus on Dunka, Raimondo and junior Debora Reis, leaving the Tiger’s other player’s completely undefended. The plan worked to near perfection as Wasatch was held to only 3 points in the third quarter; and Millard solidified their grip on the semifinal win.
Against Kanab, both teams came out firing as Kanab pulled out an early lead 18-13. In a low-scoring second quarter, the Tigers evened the score at halftime, 21-21.
Over the course of the second half, Kanab maintained a steady lead.
In the fourth quarter, Reis scored a put back shot off a miss by Dunka to make it a 1-point deficit, 36-35, and junior Mattea Wade made it a Tiger lead on a subsequent layup.
Wasatch’s lead lasted all of 17 seconds. Kanab responded with a 3-pointer and never relinquished the lead again.
Dunka finished with a team-high 16 points while Reis chipped in 10.
Wasatch finished with an overall record of 19-5 and the Region 15 title.
