The American Fork girls basketball team steadied play in the second half and went on to defeat Westlake 45-32 at home Thursday night.

The Cavemen led throughout the contest, but the Thunder pulled within two points three minutes into the third quarter.

After senior Taysia Jackson scored on an inbounds pass from junior Jennaka Christensen, junior Leilani Hansen stole the ball on the next possession and drove all the way to the hoop for a bucket to make it 21-23.

That was as close as they got. American Fork’s lead was still just five at the start of the fourth quarter, but they outscored the visitors 17-9 in the final period to secure a comfortable victory.

“You’ve got to win the ones you can at home, because to win on the road is tough in this region,” said Caveman coach Corey Clayton.

He said his girls played a bit out of control in the first half but settled down after the break.

“I thought we did a good job with ball pressure and did a decent job rebounding then,” Clayton said. “They get a lot of their points from offensive rebounds so it was important to keep them off the glass.”

Both factors combined to limit the Thunder’s opportunities. “It’s hard to shoot when you don’t have the ball,” the coach said.

Clayton said his players are entirely focused on getting better day to day. “We’re not even thinking about opponents,” he said. “Learning what we do is all we can worry about now.”

Freshman guard Taylor Moeaki and sophomore guard Jenna Shepherd had 12 points apiece to lead American Fork.

Westlake had 10 players score, but the top total was six points from junior Macie Peterson.

The Cavemen (9-7, 3-2) next host Lehi (6-7, 3-2), while the Thunder (8-6, 1-4) welcome Pleasant Grove (3-11, 1-4). Both games are set to tip off Tuesday at 7 p.m.

Beky Beaton can be reached at bbeaton@heraldextra.com. Follow her on Twitter at @BeatonWrite.

American Fork 45, Westlake 32

Westlake (32)

Peterson 6, Weber 3, Christensen 3, Baker 2, Clements 4, Hansen 5, Cochran 1, Jackson 4, Meyers 2, Smith 2. Totals 12 7-12 32.

American Fork (45)

Stephenson 2, T. Moeaki 12, A. Moeaki 4, Shepherd 12, Farnsworth 8, Richardson 7. Totals 16 11-15 45.

Westlake 8 5 10 9 32

American Fork 13 8 7 17 45

3 point goals: Westlake 1 (Weber); American Fork 2 (Farnsworth 2).