Video: 3-point record breaker Ana Resendiz
See highlights of the girl who broke Diana Taurasi's school record for 3-pointers in a season.
LAYTON – Seeing playing time in the fourth quarter is becoming as rare for the
Layton starting five as seeing a comet passing the Earth while orbiting the sun.
The Lancers are so dominant on both ends of the court that the JV players routinely get the sort of minutes usually reserved for varsity players who have already earned their stripes. Of course, that's the sort of scenario that unfolds when a team boasts one of the state's top defenses and an equally skilled offense.
Layton allows just 34.1 points per game while scoring 57.5 points per contest. In 10 region games, the Lancers have allowed just 29.3 points per game.
It's one reason why Layton (19-0) is two games away from wrapping up a perfect regular season.
"Our defense is really good," senior guard
Clara Wood said. "We pressure the ball. We are the No. 1 team in the state for our defense."
Putting a stout defense on the court is nothing new for the Lancers. Layton held opponents to 35.6 points per game a season ago and reached the Class 5A quarterfinals before falling to eventual state champion Brighton. This year's team may prove even more dominant at the defensive end when the season is in the books. Layton had a victory over Granger where it allowed just 16 points and another victory over Syracuse where it yielded 14 points.
If it comes down to a defensive battle, the Lancers feel like they have the upper hand against just about any opponent.
"We try to be on offense more because it's more fun and better than defense," senior forward
Hailey Bassett said. "But defense is what's most important to us. That's won a lot of games for us."
Hailey Bassett, Layton
Photo by Dave Argyle
The Lancers are blessed with all the ingredients needed to put together a championship-level team. Layton has a strong blend of athleticism, experience, talented outside shooters and a dominant post player in Bassett. She is the team's leading scorer (18.8 points) and top rebounder (7.2 rebounds), ranking third in Class 5A in both categories. One of the things that makes her effective in her role is that she has a multidimensional skill set that can be difficult to defend.
"Hailey keeps the ball high," Layton coach Van Price said. "She's got really good post moves. She's got really good jumping ability. She can extend the defense and she can shoot the 3-pointer. All of those things make her a special player."
The Utah State signee experienced a late growth spurt as a sophomore and went from playing at guard to being in the post. Her experience in the backcourt helps Layton create and exploit mismatches – especially on the offensive end.
"Even now, sometimes, there's an inner guard in me and I try to do things that most post players wouldn't do," Bassett said.
Bassett is complemented on offense by a collection of solid outside shooters in Wood and fellow guards
Sunnie Martinez and
Kelsey Foster. They are able to draw enough defensive attention to keep things balanced on offense.
It has allowed Layton to overwhelm one opponent after another this season. The Lancers have won 16 games by double-digit margins. Only one game, a 44-41 victory over Bingham in December, has been decided by less than eight points this season.
Such domination can be both a blessing and a curse for a team that knows blowouts will not be the norm in the Class 5A tournament later this month.
"Rarely does a starter play in the fourth quarter most of the year," Price said, noting his concern that so much rest could make his starters rusty in tighter games. "Now that we're getting closer to tournament time, we won't play those younger players quite as much. We'll let the other players play and make sure we get enough playing time for them to get our offense on track."
Layton won its last state title in 2005. The Lancers want to break the drought this year more than anything else. But they face stiff competition for a championship with Copper Hills, also standing at 19-0 and closing in on its own perfect season.
With a potentially tough playoff road ahead later this month, Layton is trying to put blowout wins in the present in their proper perspective.
"We're trying to not overlook teams," Bassett said. "When you overlook teams, then that's when surprises happen. We try to take each team one by one because we know there's going to be tough competition. Our main thing is being mentally prepared for state. That's everyone's biggest goal."
John Coon covers Utah high school sports for MaxPreps. You can contact him at john_coon@hotmail.com and follow him on Twitter at @johncoonsports
