American Fork girls basketball savors big win in 6A first round
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- American Fork senior Samantha Smith drives to the basket during the 6A first round game against Herriman in American Fork on Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025.
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- American Fork senior Lindsey Melville uses a head fake to get the defender in the air during the 6A first round game against Herriman in American Fork on Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025.
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- American Fork senior Kora Kennington drives to the basket during the 6A first round game against Herriman in American Fork on Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025.
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- American Fork senior Ambri Jenson shoots a 3-pointer during the 6A first round game against Herriman in American Fork on Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025.
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- American Fork head coach Aimee Dorais and the Cavemen bench celebrate a big shot during the 6A first round game against Herriman in American Fork on Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025.
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- American Fork senior Kora Kennington goes up for a shot during the 6A first round game against Herriman in American Fork on Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025.
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- American Fork senior Samantha Smith drives to the basket during the 6A first round game against Herriman in American Fork on Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025.
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- American Fork junior Julia Fugal drives to the basket during the 6A first round game against Herriman in American Fork on Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025.
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- American Fork sophomore Morgan Felix dribbles up the court during the 6A first round game against Herriman in American Fork on Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025.
Wins had been far more elusive during the 2024-25 season than the American Fork girls basketball team had hoped.
Other than a stretch in January where the Cavemen won three times in five games, they had dealt with a lot of heartache and frustration including ending the season on an eight-game losing streak.
That made Tuesday night all the sweeter for American Fork.
The No. 16-seeded Cavemen started the 6A state playoff by hosting No. 17-seed Herriman and made the most of the opportunity.
American Fork seized control with a big second-quarter run and never looked back, pulling away to keep their season alive with a 54-33 win over the Mustangs.
“That was really nice, honestly,” Caveman senior Samantha Smith said. “I feel like we came out positive and ready to play. We just wanted to prove ourselves, prove we could do this.”
American Fork head coach Aimee Dorais said she was proud of how her athletes played overall at both ends of the court.
“Emotionally it gets really frustrating to see the losses stack up,” Dorais said. “It was great to see that as a group they stayed poised through that tough stretch of region. At the end of the day, they got the job done and that’s what you’ve got to do in the playoffs.”
Herriman stayed close through much of the first quarter, thanks in large part to getting to the foul line. The Cavemen led 11-8 after the first eight minutes of play.
But then the home team settled in and got rolling, going on a 12-2 run to push the lead to double digits.
“That helped us keep the game calm and stay poised,” Smith said. “Because of that, we were able to stay in it and hold our ground. It made a really big difference.”
The Mustangs cut the deficit to 24-16 at halftime, but that would be as close as they would get.
“Basketball can be a funny mind game,” Dorais said. “Sometimes you just need to see the ball go through the hoop and see the things you work on in practice every day work in a game. Tonight it was a combination of executing what we know and adjusting to what Herriman was trying to do.”
During the game, Smith simply refused to let her team lose the momentum. At times she put her head down and attacked, forcing the defense to try and stop her.
“I love that,” Smith said with a grin. “It’s just all about taking it with confidence.”
Dorais said Smith is the type of player who plays in such a way that pushes others to do the same.
“Sam’s motor never fails,” Dorais said. “She’s kind of the emotional spearhead for us as well. She’s the example that shows if she can play that hard, everyone can play that hard too. That’s a great leadership role that she has for us.”
Smith led a balanced American Fork effort with 12 points, while junior Julia Fugal added 10.
Herriman was paced by 10 points apiece from sophomore Shawnee Asiata and sophomore Bergen Jettie.
With the win, the Cavemen (5-18) head on the road to face top-seeded Copper Hills in the second round.
“Copper Hills has been the team that everyone has been chasing this year,” Dorais said. “What’s fun about sports is you have an opportunity in front of you, and so you go try your hardest to make the most of it. We know it’s a challenge because we know how good they are, but we can cause some problems as well.”
Although they know it will be a tall task, Smith said they are ready to go see what they can do.
“I feel like we can play up to our potential and to our standard at the same time,” Smith said. “We’ll go show what we can do.”
American Fork will face the Grizzlies in West Jordan on Thursday at 7 p.m.
