High school girls basketball: Notes and highlights from Tuesday games

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Basketball

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Syracuse 52, Clearfield 29

Syracuse and Clearfield both marched into Tuesday’s game with an unblemished region record under their belt and looking to build on the momentum. Syracuse most certainly did.

Leading 23-18 at the half, it broke the game wide open in the second half, running away with the 52-29 victory to improve to 2-0 in region while dropping Clearfield to 2-1.

“Our girls played an all-around great game tonight. There were a few miscues and mental errors on defense during the first half that we felt let Clearfield hang around. We were able to clean those up in the second half,” said Syracuse coach Braden Hamblin. “We played with great energy in our press, dominated the rebounds and were able to generate turnovers leading to points. Very proud of our effort.”

Avery Sanders led the way for the Titans with 18 points, with Cortnie Barker chipping in with 15.

Highland 63, Brighton 58

In a tight Region 6 battle from the opening tip, Highland pulled away from visiting Brighton in the fourth quarter with some clutch late possessions for the 63-58 victory to improve to 2-0 in league play.

Sosefina Langi had another solid outing for the Rams, scoring 21 points, with Sophia Legate chipping in with 18 points on six 3-pointers.

Highland coach Sala Asiata said the key for his team was “staying composed, slowing things down offensively and communicating on defense. Brighton is tough and will continue to get better.”

Sophie Nielsen scored 18 points to lead Brighton, one of three players to score in double figures for the Bengals as they buried 10 3-pointers. It wasn’t quite enough to offset 11 3-pointers from Highland.

Richfield 54, Carbon 43

In a showdown between two of 3A’s best, it was No. 4 Richfield that got the better of No. 2 Carbon on Tuesday with an impressive 54-43 victory in the Region 12 opener.

“Great way for us to start region play. Carbon is a great team and well coached. Our team continues to make progress as the season goes forward,” said Richfield coach Marc Peterson. “Tonight certainly wasn’t our best basketball. We are still seeking that complete game.”

Nicole Willardson led the way for Richfield with 18 points, while Brielle Jolley chipped in with a dozen more.

“Nicole is always big for us. She sets the tone with her play. She presents a pretty big challenge to opposing defenses,” said Peterson.

Richfield jumped out quickly, building a 13-7 lead in the first quarter, but it was the third quarter where it effectively pulled away for good. Leading 25-21 at the break, the Wildcats stretched the lead to 36-25 heading into the fourth quarter and coasted from there.

Springville 38, Timpview 29

Scintillating defense fueled Springville to another impressive victory in 5A on Tuesday night.

Second-ranked Springville held No. 3 Timpview to single-digit scoring in all four quarters as the Red Devils improved to 10-2 with the 38-29 win in their final nonregion game.

Brooke Pennington scored 13 points to lead the way offensive for Springville, which got a nice bounce-back win after falling to 6A No. 1 Lone Peak last week by 20 points.

Lone Peak was 5-0 against Utah teams prior to beating Springville last week with a 43.6 average margin of victory, so despite the 20-point loss it was a respectable showing for Springville which now turns its sole attention to 5A competition and repeating as region and state champs.