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Lone Peak players pose for a celebration photo after winning the 6A championship game against Copper Hills at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 1, 2024.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Lone Peak senior Shawnee Nordstrom goes up for a layup during the 6A championship game against Copper Hills at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 1, 2024.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Lone Peak players celebrate after winning the 6A championship game against Copper Hills at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 1, 2024.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Lone Peak head coach Nancy Warner directs her team during the 6A championship game against Copper Hills at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 1, 2024.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Lone Peak players celebrate a made 3-pointer during the 6A championship game against Copper Hills at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 1, 2024.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Lone Peak senior Shawnee Nordstrom drives to the basket during the 6A championship game against Copper Hills at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 1, 2024.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Lone Peak players pose for a celebration photo after winning the 6A championship game against Copper Hills at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 1, 2024.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Lone Peak head coach Nancy Warner cuts down the net after winning the 6A championship game against Copper Hills at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 1, 2024.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Lone Peak players cheer on head coach Nancy Warner as she cuts down the net after winning the 6A championship game against Copper Hills at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 1, 2024.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Lone Peak players celebrate after winning the 6A championship game against Copper Hills at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 1, 2024.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Lone Peak players celebrate after winning the 6A championship game against Copper Hills at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 1, 2024.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Lone Peak players celebrate after winning the 6A championship game against Copper Hills at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 1, 2024.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Lone Peak players celebrate after winning the 6A championship game against Copper Hills at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 1, 2024.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Lone Peak players celebrate after winning the 6A championship game against Copper Hills at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 1, 2024.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Lone Peak players pose for a celebration photo after winning the 6A championship game against Copper Hills at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 1, 2024.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Lone Peak players pose for a celebration photo after winning the 6A championship game against Copper Hills at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 1, 2024.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Lone Peak players celebrate after winning the 6A championship game against Copper Hills at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 1, 2024.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Lone Peak players contest a shot during the 6A championship game against Copper Hills at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 1, 2024.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Lone Peak senior Kaylee Rich (left) and sophomore Kennedy Woolston (right) battle for a loose ball during the 6A championship game against Copper Hills at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 1, 2024.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Lone Peak fans celebrate a good play during the 6A championship game against Copper Hills at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 1, 2024.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Lone Peak fans celebrate a made 3-pointer during the 6A championship game against Copper Hills at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 1, 2024.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Lone Peak players celebrate after winning the 6A championship game against Copper Hills at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 1, 2024.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Lone Peak senior Shawnee Nordstrom gets a hug after winning the 6A championship game against Copper Hills at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 1, 2024.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Lone Peak junior Katy Lawrence cuts down the net after winning the 6A championship game against Copper Hills at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 1, 2024.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Lone Peak senior Sarah Bartholomew cuts down the net after winning the 6A championship game against Copper Hills at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 1, 2024.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Lone Peak players pose for a celebration photo after winning the 6A championship game against Copper Hills at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 1, 2024.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Lone Peak players celebrate after winning the 6A championship game against Copper Hills at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 1, 2024.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Lone Peak players celebrate after winning the 6A championship game against Copper Hills at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 1, 2024.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Lone Peak players pose for a celebration photo after winning the 6A championship game against Copper Hills at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 1, 2024.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Lone Peak players pose for a celebration photo after winning the 6A championship game against Copper Hills at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 1, 2024.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Lone Peak senior Sarah Bartholomew goes up for a shot during the 6A championship game against Copper Hills at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 1, 2024.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Lone Peak senior Sarah Bartholomew battles for a loose ball during the 6A championship game against Copper Hills at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 1, 2024.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Lone Peak senior Naia Tanuvasa drives to the basket during the 6A championship game against Copper Hills at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 1, 2024.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Lone Peak senior Shawnee Nordstrom shoots a 3-pointer during the 6A championship game against Copper Hills at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 1, 2024.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Lone Peak sophomore Kennedy Woolston dribbles up the court during the 6A championship game against Copper Hills at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 1, 2024.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Lone Peak sophomore Kennedy Woolston drives to the basket during the 6A championship game against Copper Hills at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 1, 2024.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Lone Peak freshman Zuri Nordstrom shoots a 3-pointer during the 6A championship game against Copper Hills at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 1, 2024.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Lone Peak junior Katy Lawrence goes up for a layup during the 6A championship game against Copper Hills at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 1, 2024.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Lone Peak senior Sarah Bartholomew (right) and sophomore Kennedy Woolston prepare to take the floor before the 6A championship game against Copper Hills at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 1, 2024.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Lone Peak sophomore Kennedy Woolston prepares to take the floor before the 6A championship game against Copper Hills at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 1, 2024.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Lone Peak senior Sarah Bartholomew wins the jump ball to start the 6A championship game against Copper Hills at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 1, 2024.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Lone Peak senior Sarah Bartholomew shoots a shot during the 6A championship game against Copper Hills at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 1, 2024.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Lone Peak senior Kaylee Rich (left) battles for a loose ball during the 6A championship game against Copper Hills at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 1, 2024.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

❮ ❯

Lone Peak senior guard Shawnee Nordstrom, who is from New Zealand, moved to Utah three years ago to become an elite basketball player.

Nordstrom’s teammates joined her on the that journey and the Knights are once again elite, trouncing No. 1 seed Copper Hills 65-47 on Friday at the Huntsman Center for the program’s third straight Class 6A title.

“We’ve been elite since I got here,” said Nordstrom, who signed to play for Cal Baptist next season. “That’s why I transferred here. I transferred for family reasons also, but I came here so the coaches could make me elite and make all those around us elite.”

Nordstrom and fellow senior Naia Tanuvasa scored 16 points each, sophomore Kennedy Woolston had 15 and freshman Zuri Nordstrom contributed 12 off the bench as Lone Peak blew open a close game with a sizzling second quarter. It was punch to the gut the Grizzlies could never recover from.

“I think it was a matter of us settling in and seeing the ball go through the hoop,” Knights coach Nancy Warner said. “When that happens it kind of eases those jitters. Then they really started to buy into the flow of what it was going to look like for us offensively.”

Woolston scored the first seven points for Lone Peak and helped the Knights to a 10-6 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Shawnee Nordstrom tossed in a 3-pointer and Woolston put her defender in the spin cycle the next time down the floor, flying in for a layup and a 15-8 lead with 6:35 to play in the second quarter.

Ellie Taylor made back-to-back 3-pointers to earn the Grizzlies a 16-15 lead, but the Knights erupted on an 11-0 burst, with two 3-pointers from Zuri Nordstrom and another from her sister for a 26-16 lead with 2:25 to play.

“I have such great teammates and we had that experience to calm our nerves,” Woolston said. “We were ready to get into it and once we got a feel for the game we played together.”

Lone Peak got another 3-pointer from Zuri Nordstrom and took a 31-23 lead into the locker room at halftime. The Knights were 7 of 12 from beyond the arc in the first half and the younger Nordstrom made 4 of 5 from distance.

“She came in confident and you could see it, she was ready,” Warner said.

Woolston scored twice to open the third quarter and Sarah Bartholomew, who had 15 rebounds, delivered a putback for a 37-23 Lone Peak lead. The Knights led by as many as 17, 46-29, on a Tanuvasa 3-pointer at the 2:22 mark. Copper Hills managed to trim the deficit to 50-38 heading into the fourth quarter.

That was as close as the Grizzlies could get as Tanuvasa scored nine straight points during a stretch in the fourth. Her long 3-pointer pushed the Knights out to a 19-point lead, 62-43, with 3:08 to play.

Taylor led Copper Hills (25-2) with 18 points and Skylie Barker added 15.

Kailey Woolston, starring as a freshman at BYU this season, was the catalyst for Lone Peak in the first two championships (2022, 2023). Without her, Lone Peak had to discover their own identity this season. The Knights struggled early with injuries, illness and a very difficult schedule. A preseason record of 5-6 included a 52-47 loss to this same Copper Hills team in December.

Lone Peak (19-6) ended up winning 14 straight games to finish the season.

“Kaylee left big shoes to fill,” Warner said. “These girls just had to be themselves. People were asking, ‘How are you going to replace her?’ but in my head it wasn’t that. It was these girls just being who they are, trusting and believing in each other. It came down to being in positions and spots to work together and create things for each other.”

Warner has now won six state championships as a coach: Three at Springville (2010, 2011, 2013) and now three at Lone Peak.

“I think it’s just players buying in to what we’re about and making sure that they stay consistent with what we expect and the expectations of the program,” Warner said. “I think with that is our leadership. Every year we have to have leadership that sets out to hold each other accountable.”

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