Region 9 girls basketball: Canyon View beats Hurricane for 3rd straight win; 3 other teams win on road

Written by Jeff Richards
January 26, 2021

ST. GEORGE — Three of the four Region 9 girls basketball games played Tuesday night were won by the visiting team. Only the Canyon View Falcons, winners of their third straight contest, were victorious on their home court, coming from behind in the fourth to defeat Hurricane by 11. Here’s a recap of Tuesday night’s action, which marks the halfway point of the regular season.

Canyon View 42, Hurricane 31

At Canyon View, the Falcons overcame a sluggish first half, eventually overtaking and pulling away from Hurricane during the fourth quarter.

The Tigers led 18-13 at halftime, with the Falcons scoring just two points in the second quarter, a basket by Harlee Nicoll.

“We played pretty good defense in the first half, giving up 18 points,” said Canyon View head coach Jaycee Barnhurst. “But we couldn’t find the bottom of the ocean in the first half. The third quarter was better, we won that quarter. Then, finally in the fourth quarter we decided we wanted to score.”

Hurricane at Canyon View, Cedar City, Utah, Jan. 26, 2021 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

Despite outscoring the Tigers 10-7 in the third quarter, Canyon View still trailed 25-23 heading into the fourth. The Falcons then nearly doubled their point total over the last eight minutes, closing the game with a 19-6 run.

The Falcons converted 11-of-12 free throws during the fourth quarter alone. Senior guard Addison Newman, who made eight of her 10 points during the fourth, went 6-for-6 from the line. Nicoll finished with a game-high 19 points. Myka Taylor added nine points for the Falcons.

“Defense has been one of our keys,” Barnhurst added. “In this region, there’s some good teams. You’ve got to limit every point they get. I thought that we did that tonight.”

Hurricane was led by Haley Chesley’s 10 points. Lydia Prince added eight points, while Madison Staples collected seven rebounds and had two steals.

Both teams are now at 3-4 in region play, with Canyon View picking up its third straight win while Hurricane loses its third in a row. See chart at bottom of story for full region standings.

The Falcons will host Desert Hills on Thursday, while Hurricane hosts Dixie.

Desert Hills 74, Cedar 37

At Cedar, Desert Hills jumped out to an early 8-0 lead on the Reds, with Shailee Bundy scoring the first basket and Sa’de Turlington making the next three.

Desert Hills at Cedar, Cedar City, Utah, Jan. 26, 2021 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

The Thunder went on to take a 22-7 lead after one quarter. The Reds were shorthanded, as their lineup was missing multiple starters due to illness or injury.

Cedar actually outscored Desert Hills 14-12 during the second period, but that was the only quarter in which the Reds managed to score 10 or more points.

Desert Hills continued to pull away and extend its lead throughout the second half. Turlington led the Thunder’s balanced offensive attack with 17 points, while Bundy and Sedelle Springer each added 11.

Cedar was led by McKelle Kerns, who scored 12, with Emery Harrison adding nine.

The Reds will host Snow Canyon on Thursday, while Desert Hills travels to Canyon View.

Pine View 68, Dixie 30

At Dixie, the Pine View Panthers took a commanding 16-9 lead in the first quarter, then went on an 18-2 run during the second quarter to take a 34-11 halftime lead.

The second half played out much the same way, with the Panthers rolling to a decisive victory. Pine View’s Averi Papa and Alex Olson each scored 15 points, while Aly Schmitt scored 12 and Mady Jensen made 10.

Pine View at Dixie, St. George, Utah, Jan. 26, 2021 | Photo by Dave Larson, St. George News

Dixie had just one player in double figures, as Kealah Faumuina scored 14, accounting for nearly half the Flyers’ total points.

Thursday, the Panthers will travel to Crimson Cliffs while Dixie plays at Hurricane.

Snow Canyon 49, Crimson Cliffs 31

At Crimson Cliffs, the Snow Canyon Warriors went on a 17-4 run during the fourth quarter to pull away from the Mustangs.

Natalie Olson scored 21 for Snow Canyon, while Ebony Lealao added 11.

“We didn’t have a bad stretch where we let the other team get a big lead,” Snow Canyon coach Dan Roden said.

The Warriors improved to 1-6 in region play, while the Mustangs remain winless. Snow Canyon next plays at Cedar on Thursday, while Crimson will host Pine View.

Region 9 girls basketball standings (as of Jan. 27)

  1. Desert Hills 7-0 (11-2)
  2. Pine View 6-1 (12-1)
  3. Cedar 4-3 (7-7)
  4. Dixie 4-3 (6-7)
  5. Canyon View 3-4 (6-9)
  6. Hurricane 3-4 (5-9)
  7. Snow Canyon 1-6 (2-11)
  8. Crimson Cliffs 0-7 (2-11)

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2021, all rights reserved.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jeff Richards, a native of Salt Lake City with family roots in Panguitch, lived in Moab for 20 years before joining St. George News in 2017. Jeff is a longtime journalist and secondary school teacher. He and his wife Penny are the parents of five daughters. They also have three young grandsons. Jeff and his family enjoy swimming, camping, sightseeing, reading, and taking pictures.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @stgnews@moabjeff@stgnewssports

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