Region 10 girls basketball: Warriors, Thunder, Flyers start region slate with wins

Written by E. George Goold
January 4, 2023

ST. GEORGE — Region 10’s high school girls basketball season started the new year with a flourish Tuesday night as local teams tipped off in rivalry games.

At Crimson Cliffs, Snow Canyon trailed after one quarter before dominating the Mustangs for the rest of the game.

Meanwhile, Desert Hills went to Cedar City and came away with a close win, while Dixie was the third road team to triumph after the Flyers won in Hurricane.

Following are recaps of Tuesday night’s games.

Snow Canyon 67, Crimson Cliffs 39

The Warriors (6-5 overall, 1-0 Region 10) got back to the basics after falling behind 13-9 in the first quarter.

Crimson Cliffs’ McKenzie Whitaker (34) attacks Snow Canyon in a Region 10 girls basketball game, Washington, Utah, Jan. 3, 2023 | Photo by E. George Goold, St. George News

The Mustangs (1-5, 0-1) played a physical game right from opening tipoff, pressuring Snow Canyon’s shooters and crowding passing lanes.

Four Mustangs (Kinsie Plewe, Cambria Clawson, Summer Adams, Mckenzie Mckone) sank a bucket, Kenadee Richey made a free throw and Alyssa Whitaker netted four points to build the Mustangs first quarter advantage.

“We had to match their physicality,” Snow Canyon coach Dan Roden told St. George News. “They were very physical, to their credit, much more physical than our girls were in the first half. Once we adjusted to that, and realized we were going to get hit on everything, it was okay.”

Senior Natalie Olson keyed a second-quarter surge that put the Warriors ahead. Olson scored 11 of her 15 total points in the second session and Snow Canyon led for good 34-26 at halftime.

“She shot the ball well. She had a couple of big 3-pointers for us when they were in their zone,” Roden said. “That stretched the lead a little bit and gave us some breathing room. And it gave her some confidence too, she’s a pretty streaky shooter.”

Sophomore Olivia Hamlin paced the Warriors with a game-high 26 points. Kelly Howard scored 10 points for the winners.

Plewe and Richey each led Crimson with nine points apiece. Whitaker scored eight points in the setback. 

“Region play is going to be physical. We all know each other, we all know who the players are,” Roden said. “We’ve all scouted each other and can call each other’s offense half the time. Every game, it’s going to be a battle.”

Snow Canyon hosts Pine View and Crimson Cliffs hosts Cedar Thursday night at 7 p.m.

Dixie 55, Hurricane 41

The Flyers (7-4, 1-0) are off to a hot start to the season and are leading Region 10 after the 14-point road win.

The Tigers (1-7, 0-1) led 10-9 after the first quarter. Dixie rebounded to take a 20-17 lead at halftime and erupted for 21 points in the third session to break the game open.

Dixie’s Jaide Bundy led all scorers in the contest with 24 points including five 3-pointers. Kealah Faumuina chipped in with 15 points for the winners.

Hurricane was led by Adriana Gubler and her 12 points off of four 3-pointers. Analee Larsen netted nine points off of three 3-pointers for the Tigers.

Hurricane hosts Desert Hills Thursday night at 7 p.m. Dixie is off until hosting Pine View Jan. 13 at 7 p.m. 

Desert Hills 45, Cedar 42

In a closely matched contest, Desert Hills Thunder made a couple key steals down the stretch to come away with a three-point win at Cedar.

Desert Hills at Cedar, Region 10 girls basketball, Cedar City, Utah, Jan. 3, 2023 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

Desert Hills guards Jacie Riding and Ashtin Hansen each drained a pair of 3-pointers during the first quarter, which ended in a 12-12 tie. Cedar’s Annalyse Shimada made seven points during that same span.

The Thunder then outscored the Reds 10-6 in the second quarter to take a 22-18 halftime lead. All six of Cedar’s points came on free throws by Shimada.

Cedar scored the first five points of the third quarter to briefly lead 23-22. The Thunder then scored five in a row to lead 27-24.

Cedar center Kiara Hansen then made three baskets late in the third, which ended with the score tied at 29-29.

Shimada hit a baseline shot with about 2:20 remaining to give the Reds a 40-39 lead, but Ashtin Hansen answered on the other end for Desert Hills, getting her own rebound and scoring on a putback to put the Thunder back ahead.

Desert Hills then capitalized on a couple of late turnovers by the Reds. Hannah Heaton sank a pair of clinching free throws with 16.8 seconds left to give the Thunder a five-point lead, 45-40.

“Tough win in a great atmosphere,” Desert Hills coach Ron Denos told St. George News after the game. “Our girls made some big shots and some key steals down the stretch.”

Leading the way for Desert Hills were Riding and Ashtin Hansen, who each finished with 12 points, while Heaton added 9. Shimada led the way for Cedar with 21 points, while Gabby Gomez added 9 and Kiara Hansen contributed 8 points.

“It was a great game after a long break for both teams,” Denos added. “I know Coach Corry (Nielsen) will keep getting those girls better and they will win a bunch of games going forward. We just need to keep improving every game.”

Desert Hills, which improved to 5-6 overall, 1-0 in Region 10 play, travels to Hurricane to face the Tigers on Thursday night. Meanwhile, Cedar, which fell to 0-9 and 0-1, plays at Crimson Cliffs that same evening.

St. George/ Cedar City News reporter Jeff Richards contributed to this report.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2023, all rights reserved.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Eric George Goold came to St. George News from southwestern Colorado, where he was a radio news reporter. He has been a journalist for over 20 years in five different states. He graduated with a master's degree in English from Kansas State University and writes nonfiction as well. Goold has been published in Sunstone Magazine and has done multiple public readings about local history. When he has free time, he enjoys chess, movies and dogs.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @STGnews

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