Heartbreak: Salem Hills loses to top seed West in final seconds of 5A semifinal
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- Salem Hills Chenielle Nye celebrates after drawing a charge during the 5A semifinal game against West at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025.
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- Salem Hills players get emotional after losing the 5A semifinal game against West at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025.
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- Salem Hills Chenielle Nye goes up for a layup during the 5A semifinal game against West at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025.
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- Salem Hills junior Kate Barton dribbles toward the baseline during the 5A semifinal game against West at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025.
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- Salem Hills senior Brooke Warren shoots a shot during the 5A semifinal game against West at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025.
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- Salem Hills players celebrate after a made shot during the 5A semifinal game against West at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025.
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- Salem Hills sophomore Alexa Vance shoots a 3-pointer during the 5A semifinal game against West at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025.
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- Salem Hills players prepare to take the floor before the 5A semifinal game against West at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025.
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- Salem Hills Chenielle Nye (right) goes up for the jump ball during the 5A semifinal game against West at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025.
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- Salem Hills junior Kate Barton drives to the basket during the 5A semifinal game against West at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025.
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- Salem Hills sophomore Alexa Vance tries to bring the ball up the court during the 5A semifinal game against West at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025.
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- Salem Hills senior Brooke Warren goes up for a shot during the 5A semifinal game against West at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025.
SALT LAKE CTY — When the clock hit zeros in Wednesday’s epic Class 5A girls basketball semifinal game between No. 1 West and No. 4 Salem Hills, all that was left for the Skyhawks were tears and exhaustion.
It’s no consolation for Salem Hills, but its valiant 32-minute effort showed how much the team cared and how they emptied the tank of every last ounce of fight.
The results on the scoreboard showed West won 52-51 to advance to the state championship game. But the Skyhawks fought the unbeaten Panthers to the bitter end on the floor of the Huntsman Center and nearly pulled off a huge upset.
“They gave everything,” an emotional Salem Hills coach Taylor Jones said. “And I knew they would. There was no doubt that they wouldn’t leave everything on the floor, no matter what the score was. We gave ourselves a chance.”
Salem Hills held a two-point lead, 51-49, when Chenielle Nye drew a charge with 19.6 seconds to play. The Skyhawks prepared to play keep away from West, make free throws and win the game. But a sequence where the Panthers appeared to foul to stop the clock was instead called a jump ball, giving it back to West.
Kaydence Falatea made the most of her state tournament moment, banging in a 3-pointer from the corner with 8.2 seconds to play for a 52-51 West lead. After a time out, Brooke Warren of Salem Hills raced down the floor into the key but the Panthers knocked the ball loose. It ended up in Nye’s hands but her rushed shot to beat the buzzer didn’t find the mark.
“It came down to a defensive possession,” Jones said. “I think we just got caught up in a screen. It was something we hadn’t seen all game, so credit their coach. He drew up a good play for one of their best shooters and we just didn’t get out on her. Obviously, I felt like we got fouled on the other end, but you can go back to a hundred different things we could have done better. It just came down to getting a stop.”
Nye was a beast for Salem Hills (20-6), finishing with 19 points, 21 rebounds, four blocks and three steals. Sophomore Alexa Vance scored 17 points, 16 in the second half, and also nabbed five steals. The Skyhawks, facing the ferocious Panthers full court press, committed 26 turnovers.
West, which won 12 Region 5 games by an average of 42 points per contest, got 24 points, five assists and six steals from Kylee Falatea, the state’s top junior. Kaydence Falatea finished with 12 points on 4 of 10 from the 3-point line.
West’s largest lead in the hard-fought contest was six, Salem Hills once led by four. The game featured nine ties and seven lead changes as well. The Skyhawks opted to play zone defense, which slowed the pace of the game and forced the Panthers to make 3-pointers. West finished 8 of 25 (32%) from the 3-point line and committed 16 turnovers.
Nye scored inside for an early 11-7 lead, but West ended the first quarter on a 7-0 to go on top 14-11 heading in the to second quarter. The Panthers went up six when Kylee Falatea knocked in a 3-pointer (24-18) an led 25-22 at the break.
An evenly played third quarter finished with West still on top 38-36. The Skyhawks scored six straight in the fourth and finally took a 44-40 lead on a Brooke Warren basket with five minutes to play. Vance made a pair of free throws for a 51-49 Salem Hills advantage with 2:07 to play. Both teams struggled to get any offense going in the final two minutes until Kaydence Falatea played the late hero.
“We just fought so hard,” Jones said. “We lost the last two games of the regular season and I was little worried about their belief, but they didn’t skip a beat. They stayed together, they communicated with each other and they were just so happy with each other. I told them (in the locker room) that I was proud of how they fought and stayed together. They were just warriors and champions no matter what happens in life. I wish I could tell them this is the hardest part of their life, but it’s not, so I was just using these experiences as what really matters most.”
West (24-0) will take on Bountiful (23-2) in the 5A title game on Friday at 5 p.m.
