In Monday’s two late quarterfinal games, the approach worked for both the Falcons and the Lions.

No. 5-seed Payson came in as the favorite in their 4A quarterfinal contest against No. 12-seed Desert Hills at the UCCU Center in Orem, but knew the Thunder would believe they could get their second-straight upset.

Things did not start well offensively for the Lions, who scored a single point in the first quarter. Fortunately for Payson, their defense held Desert Hills to just five points in the period, allowing the offense time to get on track.

The Lions got going and went up 19-14 at halftime. The Thunder stayed close enough to be dangerous but Payson was able to pull away at the end and get the 51-40 victory.

The Lions got most of their scoring from Cheznie Roundy (15 points), Oaklie Jackman (14 points) and Avery Roundy (12 points). Desert Hills was paced by 12 points from Hannah Heaton.

Payson moved on to Tuesday’s 4A semifinals at the UCCU Center in Orem where the Lions faced top-seeded Ridgeline. That game was scheduled to take place at 2:30 p.m.

No. 12-seed Skyridge was on the other side of the equation as the Falcons battled No. 4-seed Syracuse in the 6A quarterfinals at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City.

Points were at a premium as neither Skyridge nor the Titans could get the ball in the basket consistently. The Falcons led 22-18 at halftime but Syracuse rallied to go up 33-31 midway through the fourth quarter.

But Skyridge senior Cambree Blackham refused to let her team lose.

She weaved through the Titan defense for a layup to tie the game, then did it again and tried to set up a teammate. When her pass was deflected, she grabbed the loose ball and scored to put the Falcons up for good.

Syracuse had some good chances to tie or take the lead but simply couldn’t get them to drop and Skyridge hit its free throws to secure the 36-33 win.

The Falcons were led by Blackham, who scored 19 points and had five steals. The Titans got 16 points from Cortnie Barker to keep the game close.

Skyridge advances to face top-seeded Copper Hills in the 6A semifinals. That game will take place at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Wednesday at 3 p.m.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald