Girls hoops roundup: Lady Reds stay undefeated with road win at D-Hills; STGNews videocast

ST. GEORGE — If this was an off night for Courtney Morley, watch out for when she’s on.

The Cedar junior guard scored 23 points on 10 of 19 shooting and the Lady Reds owned the fourth quarter in a 56-48 victory over Desert Hills Thursday night in DHHS’s Thunderdome Gymnasium.

cedar-smDesert-Hills-sm“My shooting was off, but everyone else was nailing them,” Morley said. “If I have an open lane, I take it and if I have an open shot I take it.”

All 10 of Morley’s field goals were in the paint, usually on crossover moves in the lane that created open shots.

Meanwhile, Thunder star Ashley Beckstrand found the sledding a little tougher. She managed just 4 of 12 from the floor and faced constant double-teams and even the occasional box-and-one defense.

Courtney Morley puts up a reverse layup for the Lady Reds, Cedar vs. Desert Hills, Girls Basketball,  St. George, Utah, Jan. 22, 2015 | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News
Courtney Morley puts up a reverse layup for the Lady Reds, Cedar vs. Desert Hills, Girls Basketball, St. George, Utah, Jan. 22, 2015 | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News

“We had the right girls that could play some tough defense on her and frustrate her all night,” Cedar coach John Elison said. “I’m proud of them for their defense.”

The game was tight through the first three quarters and was deadlocked at 37-37 as the fourth period began. Cedar’s Shana Foley broke the tie with a free throw and teammate Priscilla Zeigler made it 40-37 with a layup moments later. DH’s Kenzie Done made it 40-39 with a pair of free throws, but Cedar went on an 8-1 run to up the lead to 48-40 halfway through the final period. Morley had a 4 points, 2 steals and 2 assists in the run.

“Courtney’s fantastic,” Elison said. “We love her. Day in and day out, I don’t know what she averages total on points, but her play her stats … and what she does, it’s awesome. It’s fun to have her.”

The Lady Thunder would chase the Lady Reds the rest of the game, but wouldn’t get closer than five after that.

Desert Hills' Ashley Beckstrand puts up a layup with Cedars Morgan Myers (32) defending,  Cedar vs. Desert Hills, Girls Basketball,  St. George, Utah, Jan. 22, 2015 | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News
Desert Hills’ Ashley Beckstrand puts up a layup with Cedars Morgan Myers (32) defending, Cedar vs. Desert Hills, Girls Basketball, St. George, Utah, Jan. 22, 2015 | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News

Beckstrand finished with 11 points, about half of her season average. She sat for more than three minutes in the third quarter after hitting the floor hard on a made basket. She limped off the court, but returned without much hitch in her giddy-up.

Cedar led virtually the entire first half after a 12-6 start. Desert Hills finally caught the Reds with two minutes to go in the half on a free throw by Kylie Williams that made it 23-23. The Thunder had their biggest lead of the game at 27-24, but by halftime, Cedar had evened the score at 28-28.

Neither team led by more than three in the third quarter, but Cedar outscored D-Hills 19-11 in the final period.

Along with Morley’s 23 points, she also had 11 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 steals. Cedar also got 10 points from post Shana Foley and 8 points and 8 boards from Morgan Myers. Rebounds were a real key as Cedar had 14 offensive boards and ruled the glass 41-32.

The Lady Reds, 13-3 overall and a perfect 7-0 in Region 9, now have a three-game lead on the rest of the region with five games left. Cedar has won seven straight and plays at Canyon View next Tuesday.

The Thunder were led by Kenzie Done’s 17 points and Kylie WIlliams had 10. Desert Hills, which went undefeated in region last season, drops to 9-7 overall and 3-4 in region, tied for fifth place.

Stats: Cedar 56, Desert Hills 48

Snow Canyon 52, Pine View 36

If it weren’t for undefeated Cedar, everyone would likely be talking about the red-hot Lady Warriors, who just won their third straight and their fifth in the last six games.

Snow Canyon left no doubt who was going to win this game early on. Natasha Fiame opened the game with a bucket in the lane to make it 2-0 for PV, then the Panthers watched helplessly as SC scored the next 18 points. Shaylee Reed started the run with three quick points and Nikenna Durante hit a 3-pointer to make it 6-2. Christee Wilson then hit consecutive shots to make it 10-2 and the Warriors were on a roll.

snow-canyon-smPine-view-smTayvia Ah Quin finally stopped the bleeding just before the quarter break. Pine View got within 25-16 at halftime, but the Warriors returned to the Jungle floor and immediately went on a 12-3 run to put the game away in the third quarter.

Pine View had beaten Snow Canyon back in early December as part of a horrendous 2-9 start to the season for the Warriors. But since then, SC is 5-1 and has improved its 0-2 region start to an impressive 4-3. SC and Pine View are now tied for second in Region 9 at 4-3.

Reed finished the night with an impressive line of 12 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals. Madi Mooring was also sharp, racking up 12 points, 5 boards, 4 assists and 3 steals. The Warriors, 7-10 overall, are at Canyon View Tuesday night.

Pine View, which got 15 points from Fiame and 8 from Kenya Schone, has lost two straight. The Panthers, 8-5 overall, host Hurricane Tuesday night.

Stats: SC 52, PV 36

Dixie 66, Hurricane 42

Aubri Challis and Alexa Estridge combined for 49 points as the Lady Flyers easily handled last-place Hurricane Thursday night at the Tiger’s Den.

dixie-smhurricane-smIt was still somewhat of a game heading into the locker room at halftime with Dixie holding a 23-15 edge. But the Flyers exploded for big numbers in the third quarter. It started with a 10-0 start out of intermission, with Challis hitting a trey and a runner in the stretch, but at 33-15 the game was getting out of hand.

The Flyers finished with 23 points in that third quarter, turning the eight-point advantage into a 46-22 blowout.

Dixie, 10-6 overall and 3-4 in region, needed this crucial win to stay in the hunt for a playoff spot. The Flyers are tied for fifth with Desert Hills and just a half-game behind fourth-place Canyon View. Only four teams go to the postseason tournament.

Hurricane, which fell to 2-14 overall and 0-7 in region, was led by Morgan Huntsman’s 12 points.

The Flyers host Desert Hills Tuesday and then visit Pine View next Thursday. The Tigers are at the Panthers Tuesday night.

Stats: DHS 66, HHS 42

Region 9
W
L
PS
PA
pct.
W
L
PS
PA
pct.
Cedar 7 0 343 276 1.000 13 3 738 597 .812
Snow Canyon 4 3 383 381 .571 7 10 754 879 .412
Pine View 4 3 338 316 .571 8 5 614 633 .615
Canyon View 3 3 221 273 .500 5 11 625 748 .312
Dixie 3 4 387 369 .429 10 6 800 746 .625
Desert Hills 3 4 396 353 .429 9 7 958 838 .562
Hurricane 0 7 323 423 .000 2 14 672 845 .125

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2015, all rights reserved.

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