1 / 13

Springville seniors Kayla Porray and Ellie Esplin comfort each other after the 5A championship game against Bountiful at the Dee Events Center in Ogden on Saturday, March 4, 2023.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

2 / 13

Springville senior Brooke Pennington dribbles up the court during the 5A championship game against Bountiful at the Dee Events Center in Ogden on Saturday, March 4, 2023.

Harold Mitchell, Special to the Herald

3 / 13

Springville players can't hold back the emotion after the 5A championship game against Bountiful at the Dee Events Center in Ogden on Saturday, March 4, 2023.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

4 / 13

Springville head coach Holli Averett directs her team during the 5A championship game against Bountiful at the Dee Events Center in Ogden on Saturday, March 4, 2023.

Harold Mitchell, Special to the Herald

5 / 13

Springville fans cheer on their team during the 5A championship game against Bountiful at the Dee Events Center in Ogden on Saturday, March 4, 2023.

Harold Mitchell, Special to the Herald

6 / 13

Springville senior Katie Durfy passes the ball during the 5A championship game against Bountiful at the Dee Events Center in Ogden on Saturday, March 4, 2023.

Harold Mitchell, Special to the Herald

7 / 13

Springville head coach Holli Averett reacts to a call during the 5A championship game against Bountiful at the Dee Events Center in Ogden on Saturday, March 4, 2023.

Harold Mitchell, Special to the Herald

8 / 13

Springville senior Brooke Pennington drives to the basket during the 5A championship game against Bountiful at the Dee Events Center in Ogden on Saturday, March 4, 2023.

Harold Mitchell, Special to the Herald

9 / 13

Springville players stand for the national anthem before the 5A championship game against Bountiful at the Dee Events Center in Ogden on Saturday, March 4, 2023.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

10 / 13

Springville senior Kayla Porray can't hold back the emotion after the 5A championship game against Bountiful at the Dee Events Center in Ogden on Saturday, March 4, 2023.

Harold Mitchell, Special to the Herald

11 / 13

Springville head coach Holli Averett accepts the second-place trophy after the 5A championship game against Bountiful at the Dee Events Center in Ogden on Saturday, March 4, 2023.

Harold Mitchell, Special to the Herald

12 / 13

Springville head coach Holli Averett talks to a referee during the 5A championship game against Bountiful at the Dee Events Center in Ogden on Saturday, March 4, 2023.

Harold Mitchell, Special to the Herald

13 / 13

Springville cheerleaders watch during the 5A championship game against Bountiful at the Dee Events Center in Ogden on Saturday, March 4, 2023.

Harold Mitchell, Special to the Herald

❮ ❯

OGDEN — Sometimes the big shot goes in … and sometimes it doesn’t.

On March 6, 2021, the Springville girls basketball team won a thrilling 5A title when Red Devil senior forward Lauryn Deede drove to the basket and made the picture-perfect buzzer-beating layup to stun Farmington, 39-38.

Fast forward nearly two years later to another state championship and Springville found itself in a similar position.

After Bountiful freshman Milika Satuala knocked down a tough 20-footer with a hand in her face to put the Redhawks up by two with 30 seconds to play, the Red Devils had the ball with a chance to tie or take the lead.

Springville patiently worked it around, finally getting it in the hands of senior Sami Stepp, who had already hit a pair of 3-pointers in the game.

“She was feeling it,” Red Devil head coach Holli Averett said. “She was really the only one who had hit those outside shots. I was happy she came in confident. It looked good to me.”

With just five seconds to go, Stepp didn’t hesitate to let the ball fly over the outstretched arm of the Bountiful defender and everyone in the arena could only watch as it arched through the air toward the basket.

It dropped halfway down before it hit the back rim, ricocheted off the front rim, and popped back out.

That was Springville’s final shot and it came oh-so-close but the Redhawks hung on to get the 41-39 win and the state title.

“I’m just proud,” Averett said. “It came down to having one more shot fall, but that’s how this game is. It would’ve been nice if it had been an inch more one way or the other. But it’s a game of inches. We’ve been on both ends of that.”

Bountiful got the rebound after the final miss but went to the ground in the process and was called for traveling, giving the Red Devils the ball back with 1.3 seconds left.

Springville aggressively made a pass inside but a Redhawk defender tipped it away and the clock ran out.

It was a fittingly dramatic finish to a fantastic title game between two very good teams.

Bountiful took advantage of its size and athleticism, while the Red Devils countered with intensity, determination and elite execution.

“Every game, we’re always undersized at every position,” Averett said. “We are small and they are bigger, faster and stronger. But we always fight. The game was up and down. We went on a run, they went on a run. They all kept their composure. Buckets were hard to come by at both ends. It was a pretty great defensive game for both teams. It just kind of came down to a shot here and a rebound there.”

Springville still led for the majority of the game, including going up 30-21 late in the third quarter.

But the Redhawks countered with an 11-2 run to tie the game early in the final quarter and it was close the rest of the way, setting up the drama of the final minute.

Springville was led by 17 points from senior Brooke Pennington, while Stepp had eight.

Satuala tallied 16 to pace Bountiful, while Taylor Harvey added 10.

Although the Red Devils saw their quest for a three-peat come up two points short, Averett said her team had a lot to be proud of.

“It hurts and nothing you can say can make them feel better,” Averett said. “But it has been a heck of a run. I don’t know if they get how cool it is to be in a championship game. What they have accomplished in their four years in high school is pretty incredible.”

In their four years at Springville, the seniors reached the 5A title game every season with a pair of state championships, which is an impressive haul.

“It always hurts to lose but we also lose our core group of seniors,” Averett said. “That’s hard for me to know I’m going to lose those amazing girls. They just work so hard. After every game, they come in with the mindset that they are ready to work.

“That’s the hungry, tenacious players that they are, fighting, scrappy, not going give up. They are going to build on that year after year. They were freshmen my first year as head coach and all I can say is I’m proud of them. They are great examples and just good girls.”

Box score

Bountiful (41)

J. Harvey 2, T. Harvey 10, Cook 2, McConkie 9, Satuala 16, Smith 2. Totals 17 5-8 41.

Springville (39)

Esplin 6, Pennington 17, Galbraith 2, Porray 6, Stepp 8. Totals 17 2-4 39.

Bountiful 6 7 12 16 — 41

Springville 6 11 13 9 — 39

3-pointers: Bountiful 2 (McConkie 2); Springville 3 (Stepp 2, Pennington).

Newsletter