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Lone Peak players celebrate a made 3-pointer during the 6A semifinal game against Corner Canyon at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Feb, 28, 2024.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Lone Peak senior Naia Tanuvasa goes up for a layup during the 6A semifinal game against Corner Canyon at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Feb, 28, 2024.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Lone Peak senior Shawnee Nordstrom dribbles up the court during the 6A semifinal game against Corner Canyon at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Feb, 28, 2024.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Lone Peak senior Sarah Bartholomew shoots a layup during the 6A semifinal game against Corner Canyon at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Feb, 28, 2024.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Lone Peak senior Shawnee Nordstrom lunges for a loose ball during the 6A semifinal game against Corner Canyon at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Feb, 28, 2024.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Lone Peak sophomore Kennedy Woolston shoots a 3-pointer during the 6A semifinal game against Corner Canyon at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Feb, 28, 2024.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Lone Peak senior Sarah Bartholomew goes up for the jump ball to start the 6A semifinal game against Corner Canyon at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Feb, 28, 2024.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Lone Peak senior Shawnee Nordstrom gets fouled as she goes for a layup during the 6A semifinal game against Corner Canyon at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Feb, 28, 2024.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Lone Peak head coach Nancy Warner directs her team during the 6A semifinal game against Corner Canyon at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Feb, 28, 2024.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Sometimes basketball players or coaches get a sense that their team is locked in and ready for an excellent performance.

Lone Peak head girls basketball coach Nancy Warner said she got that sense on Tuesday, the day before Wednesday’s 6A semifinal game against Corner Canyon at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City.

“I kind of knew they were ready since yesterday,” Warner said. “I could see the excitement that they have to be able to play together. I felt it and they did too. When they came out in warm-ups and were confident in the game plan and themselves and what has got them this far, then they just have fun together. I think that’s what helped them just to play.”

Knight senior Shawnee Nordstrom said that she looks at how her team does on defense.

“We want to make sure they feel uncomfortable and that we are aware of their best players,” Nordstrom said. “When we do that, that carries over to the offensive end.”

Lone Peak certainly started out playing excellent defense against the Chargers, holding the No. 7-seed scoreless for much of the first quarter.

That allowed the Knights to score the first 14 points and go up 21-4 after the first quarter. Lone Peak refused to allow Corner Canyon to ever get close enough to threaten a comeback and cruised to the 63-40 victory.

“It was a great start,” Warner said. “You’ll take a start like that anytime. I think it was indicative of the energy we wanted to have in this game. It was a matter of them executing the game plan and then trusting each other to get the job done, all five working together on both ends. Then we had substitutes come in and pick up right where the last person left off.”

Nordstrom said that having a close game against Region 3-rival Westlake in the quarterfinals galvanized the Knights to perform at a higher level.

“We came into this game with the mindset to fight for every possession and not take breaks,” Nordstrom said.

Although Lone Peak did have some brief lapses, Warner was pleased that her girls never got complacent enough to let the Chargers rally.

“There are going to be mistakes,” Warner said. “There are going to be breakdowns defensively. There are going to be missed shots and turnovers. It’s just a matter of responding when each of those things happen. That’s always the challenge. The challenge we give them this is to play the next play and stay together. I thought they did a good job of that.”

Nordstrom paced the Knights with 20 points, while sophomore Kennedy Woolston tallied 18 points and a team-high eight rebounds. Lone Peak senior Naia Tanuvasa was also in double figures with 12 points and also had five assists and three blocked shots.

Corner Canyon was led by center Elina Mortensen who had 11 points and nine rebounds.

The Knights now turn their attention to going for their third straight 6A title.

“It feels awesome that I have a chance to do this and finish up my senior year as possibly champion for the third time,” Nordstrom said.

She said many of the Lone Peak players are comfortable playing on the big stage because they’ve been here before — but this is a different team than the other two title winners.

“It’s important to all of us because we did lose our seniors,” Nordstrom said. “We want to make sure we are carrying the standard they set, playing tough at all times and doing what our coach is telling us.”

The Knights will face top-seeded Copper Hills in the finals and Warner said her squad knows how good the Grizzlies are.

“They’re a great team, a well-coached team with lots of great pieces,” Warner said. “They play really well together, so it’s going to be a good matchup.”

Copper Hills defeated Lone Peak, 52-47, in Highland on Dec. 12 so the Knights know they are going to have to play better than they did then to defend their title.

“I think both teams have probably matured a lot since then,” Warner said. “It’s a big deal to feel like you have something to prove. I think anyone in a championship wants to prove themselves.”

Lone Peak (17-6) will face the Grizzlies in the 6A title game at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Friday at 1:30 p.m.

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