Basketball Recap: Water Canyon Comes Up Short

Water Canyon and North Summit squared off in some playoff action on Friday, but Water Canyon had to settle for second. They were outmatched by the North Summit Braves and fell 68-24. While losing is never fun, the Wildcats can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Utah basketball rankings (they are ranked 91st, while the Braves are ranked seventh).

Defeat or not, Water Canyon got some senior leadership from Alysha Cooke and Martha Jessop. Cooke almost dropped a double-double with nine points and ten rebounds, while Jessop posted 11 points and five boards.

Even though they lost, Water Canyon smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 11 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in five consecutive games.

Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead North Summit to victory, but perhaps none more so than Hartlynn Richins, who went 7-for-12 to rack up 17 points along with eight assists and seven steals. Richins' evening made it three games in a row in which she has scored at least 16 points. Another player making a difference was Ellie Stephens, who dropped a double-double with ten points and 16 rebounds.

Water Canyon dropped their record down to 8-13 with the loss, which was their fourth straight on the road. As for North Summit, the win (which was their 18th in a row) raised their record to 23-1.

Water Canyon does not have any more games scheduled as of now. As for North Summit, they will square off against St. Joseph at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. North Summit knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with 55 points or more in their past seven contests -- so hopefully St. Joseph likes a good challenge.