Lone Peak girls basketball gets tested, still too much for Lehi
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- Lone Peak senior Naia Tanuvasa goes up for a layup during the Region 3 game against Lehi in Highland on Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024.
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- Lone Peak senior Sarah Bartholomew goes up for a shot during the Region 3 game against Lehi in Highland on Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024.
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- Lehi senior Hadlie Warren drives to the basket during the Region 3 game against Lone Peak in Highland on Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024.
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- Lone Peak senior Shawnee Nordstrom shoots a 3-pointer during the Region 3 game against Lehi in Highland on Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024.
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- Lehi senior Addy Scrivner drives to the basket during the Region 3 game against Lone Peak in Highland on Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024.
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- Lone Peak sophomore Kennedy Woolston shoots a shot during the Region 3 game against Lehi in Highland on Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024.
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- Lehi senior Kaleigh Freeman shoots a shot during the Region 3 game against Lone Peak in Highland on Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024.
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- Lone Peak senior Shawnee Nordstrom drives to the basket during the Region 3 game against Lehi in Highland on Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024.
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- Lehi senior Hadlie Warren drives to the basket during the Region 3 game against Lone Peak in Highland on Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024.
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- Lone Peak senior Naia Tanuvasa goes up for a layup during the Region 3 game against Lehi in Highland on Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024.
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- Lehi sophomore Brynlee Cook shoots a 3-pointer during the Region 3 game against Lone Peak in Highland on Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024.
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- Lone Peak head coach Nancy Warner talks to her team during the Region 3 game against Lehi in Highland on Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024.
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- Lehi head coach Sean Seastrand talks to his team during the Region 3 game against Lone Peak in Highland on Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024.
How often do both high school basketball teams view a 20-point outcome as providing valuable positives?
While it certainly isn’t common, that was how both the Lone Peak and Lehi girls basketball teams saw Tuesday night’s 63-43 Region 3 home win for the Knights.
The final result wasn’t a surprise, since Lone Peak had knocked off the Pioneers 64-29 in Lehi in January.
But the reality was that this time Lehi forced the Knights to find out more about themselves.
“Tonight we found ourselves not hitting as many shots as we’re used to,” Lone Peak head coach Nancy Warner said. “When that happened, we had to find ways to dig even deeper defensively and then execute even sharper offensively. That forced them to really come together more. We challenged them to do that and I think they did a good job.”
The Knights started the game with a 10-1 run and extended the lead to 22 points late in the second quarter.
The next few minutes of action, however, belonged to the visiting Pioneers as Lehi went on a 9-1 run to end the first half and then started the third quarter by scoring seven of the first nine points.
“We were kind of struggling but I think we did a good job staying together,” Lone Peak senior guard Naia Tanuvasa said. “We weren’t really getting stops on defense.”
Suddenly it was a nine-point game and the Pioneers were building some momentum.
“Lehi had a couple of chances to get even closer,” Warner said. “That could’ve changed the rest of the game. Lehi battled really hard and finished really well. They forced us to shift faster defensively. I thought it was a great game at both ends.”
Tanuvasa said the Knights didn’t feel worried but knew they needed to play better.
“We knew going into the game that Lehi was going to be hungry,” Tanuvasa said. “They are a really good team. At that point we needed to execute on offense and lock down on defense. We needed to pay attention to the details.”
Led by the seniors, Lone Peak did exactly that, answering with a run of their own to put the game out of reach.
“That’s the leadership you need on any team,” Warner said. “They have those characteristics and experience, so they bring that calmness to the rest of the team knowing we just need to settle in. We needed to take a deep breath and execute, and that’s what we were able to do.”
But she said that having to deal with a little adversity is good for her squad, especially with the state tournament just around the corner.
“It’s great for us to be able to go through that,” Warner said. “Not only do we know that that’s what we needed to do, but to actually experience it is invaluable. I’m glad that we had that opportunity to do that here and find success.”
While the result wasn’t what Lehi wanted, Pioneer head coach Sean Seastrand said his team did some good things.
“Other than a few stretches, I liked our overall competitiveness,” Seastrand said. “As a team, we saw that we can compete with these guys and as a team we saw our girls really start to believe that.
No one was celebrating a 20-point loss, but the feeling in the locker room was that for a significant stretch we hung with them. A lot of teams haven’t done that this year. I think that helped them see that when we are at our best, we are right there close.”
Tanuvasa said the 2024 Knights are having a lot of fun but the objective to be the best in the state remains.
“Something Coach Warner was saying is like the enemy to greatness is good,” Tanuvasa said. “A key for us is not settling for just being good. I think it’s always coming to practice trying to be better. That’s what we’re trying to do. It’s never settling.”
Lone Peak (14-6) closes out the regular season when it hosts Westlake on Friday, While Lehi (13-8) heads to Pleasant Grove for their final Region 3 game of 2024 on the same evening.
Both games are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m.
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