1 / 13

Wasatch senior Ashley Garner, right, hugs one of her coaches at the end of the 5A girls basketball state championship game against Bountiful at the Huntsman Center on Friday, March 1, 2024.

Darnell Dickson, Daily Herald

2 / 13

Bountiful's Milika Satuala, left, blocks a shot attempt from Filifaiesea Liava'a during the 5A girls basketball state championship game at the Huntsman Center on Friday, March 1, 2024.

Darnell Dickson, Daily Herald

3 / 13

Wasatch sophomore Filifaiesea Liava'a, 23, looks for a teammate during the 5A girls basketball state championship game against Bountiful at the Huntsman Center on Friday, March 1, 2024.

Darnell Dickson, Daily Herald

4 / 13

Wasatch junior Peyton Benkhe, right, drives against Bountiful's Taylor Harvey during the 5A girls basketball state championship game at the Huntsman Center on Friday, March 1, 2024.

Darnell Dickson, Daily Herald

5 / 13

Wasatch junior Peyton Benkhe, left, drives against Bountiful in the 5A girls basketball state championship game at the Huntsman Center on Friday, March 1, 2024.

Darnell Dickson, Daily Herald

6 / 13

Players on the Wasatch bench react to a made basket during the 5A girls state championship game against Bountiful at the Huntsman Center on Friday, March 1, 2024.

Darnell Dickson, Daily Herald

7 / 13

Filifaiesea Liava'a of Wasatch, right, drives against Bountiful's Sila Tu'akoi during the 5A girls basketball state championship game at the Huntsman Center on Friday, March 1, 2024.

Darnell Dickson, Daily Herald

8 / 13

Wasatch sophomore Kate Miller, 10, greets teammate Bailey Sweat during introductions before the 5A girls state basketball championship game at the Huntsman Center on Friday, March 1, 2024.

Darnell Dickson, Daily Herald

9 / 13

Wasatch students cheer during the 5A girls state basketball championship game against Bountiful in the Huntsman Center on Friday, March 1, 2024.

Darnell Dickson, Daily Herald

10 / 13

Wasatch senior Ashley Garner (in black) goes up for a shot against Bountiful in the 5A girls basketball state championship game at the Huntsman Center on Friday, March 1, 2024.

Darnell Dickson, Daily Herald

11 / 13

Players on the Wasatch bench react during the 5A girls basketball state championship game against Bountiful at the Huntsman Center on Friday, March 1, 2024.

Darnell Dickson, Daily Herald

12 / 13

Wasatch girls basketball coach Audrey Hull (standing) yells instructions to her team during the 5A state championship game against Bountiful at the Huntsman Center on Friday, March 1, 2024.

Darnell Dickson, Daily Herald

13 / 13

Wasatch students react during the 5A girls basketball state championship game against Bountiful in the Huntsman Center on Friday, March 1, 2024.

Darnell Dickson, Daily Herald

❮ ❯

To get their first state title in 15 years, the Wasatch girls basketball team knew it was going to have to play a great game in Friday’s 5A championship against the top-seeded, defending champs from Bountiful.

But it wasn’t to be, not on this day.

The Wasps struggled through one of their worst first-half performances in a long time, a showing that likely was due to both solid Redhawk defense and nerves for the young Wasatch squad.

“There were some nerves for us,” Wasp head coach Audrey Hull said. “It was the first time in 15 years that we got here and our girls were excited and pumped up to be here. But sometimes when you hit the bright lights, it doesn’t have the effect you would hope it would have.”

Wasatch didn’t score a point in the first quarter and only made one field goal to go with a few free throws as the Wasps fell behind, 29-7 at halftime.

Although Wasatch played better after the break, the deficit was too much to overcome as Bountiful rolled to the 62-35 win and its second straight state title.

“We knew we had to have our A game to beat them,” Hull said. “I really felt if we had our A game, we could beat th em but unfortunately we didn’t have our A game. You do have to give them credit for their defense and being ready offensively. They’re tough. They had a great year and credit to them.”

She said she was proud of how her team continued to compete hard despite the big hole.

“In the second half we came out with nothing to lose,” Hull said. “We were able to get a little closer but Bountiful just had too many offensive weapons for us to get enough stops to get back in the game.”

The Wasps ended up being led by 16 points from junior Peyton Behnke, while senior Ashley Garner had nine points and 11 rebounds.

Redhawk junior Taylor Harvey led the Bountiful charge with 24 points.

The finals certainly didn’t go the way Wasatch wanted but Hull said that took nothing away from what her team accomplished during the 2023-24 season.

“Our girls battle,” Hull said. “They love each other and they battle for one another. They never give up the fight and they’ll take that with them the rest of their lives. We’re proud of them. They really accomplished a lot this season and we love them.”

She said that the Wasps will miss their two seniors who completed their careers and who set the tone for Wasatch basketball.

“They laid a great foundation for our program,” Hull said. “Ashley (Garner) has been our leading scorer and rebounder for the past three years. That’s going to be tough to replace. But Bailey Sweat was also the heart of our team and a team captain. They lead us on and off the court as well. Both of them are going to be great losses to our program. We just hope that the kids follow in their footsteps as being leaders on and off the court.”

She expects the rest of the squad to build on their experiences and come back stronger next season, but also wants them to appreciate what they have.

“The wins and losses will fade away but the team will last forever,” Hull said. “They are going to have their teammates for the rest of their lives and that’s the most important thing. They really came together and this was an incredible experience. We had our fans and our town come support us. Those are great memories, even though it didn’t go the way we wanted it to.”

Box score

Wasatch (35)

Behnke 24, A. Garner 9, Liava’a 3, Greenwell 3, Speredon 3, Sweat 1. Totals 8 15-22 35.

Bountiful (62)

Harvey 24, Satuala 19, Johnson 10, Stevenson 5, Johnson 4. Totals 25 8-8 62.

Wasatch 0 7 13 15 — 35

Bountiful 17 12 19 14 — 62

3-pointers: Wasatch 4 (Behnke 3, Greenwell); Bountiful 4 (Harvey 2, Stevenson, Satuala).

Newsletter