Video: Kaylee Carlsen's highlights vs. Northridge High
See the Sky View player in action earlier this year.
TAYLORSVILLE, Utah – With a perfect season and state championship on the line,
Layton forward
Hailey Bassett delivered one of the finest performances of her basketball career.
Bassett overwhelmed
Sky View (Smithfield) in every phase of the game. She sank timely baskets and pestered the Bobcats into turnovers and bad shots at key moments. It all added up to something the Lancers sought all along – a perfect season.
Behind 35 points and 10 rebounds from Bassett, Layton pulled away from Sky View for a 73-65 victory and claimed the UHSAA Class 5A girls basketball championship Saturday at Salt Lake Community College.
The Lancers (25-0) finished off a perfect season and won their first state title since 2005.
"I just wanted to contribute to my team because this is our biggest goal," said Bassett, who shot 13 of 19 from the field. "For us to finally get here means the world. We couldn't be more proud."
Kaylee Carlsen scored 20 points to lead Sky View.
Kelsey Chapman and
Hunter Krebs added 13 points apiece for the Bobcats. Sky View (22-3) claimed the Class 4A title to finish off a perfect season a year ago, but ultimately could not slow down Bassett long enough to pull off an upset.
Layton opened the game with a 9-0 run. Bassett scored the game's first three baskets and then
Kelsey Foster capped off the spurt with a 3-pointer. It forced the Bobcats to play from behind through most of the game.
Sky View cut the deficit in half when Carlsen drilled a 3-pointer to cut Layton's lead to 17-12. That's as close as it got before the Lancers stepped on the gas pedal and sped away from the Bobcats.
Layton ripped off a 14-1 run – capped by back-to-back baskets from Bassett – to blow the game open. Bassett blocked a shot to set up the first basket and converted a three-point play on the next possession, giving the Lancers a 31-13 lead with 5:56 left before halftime.
The Bobcats continued to hang around and finally got the deficit to single digits again when
Tia Archibald scored a layup with 5.5 seconds remaining following a Layton turnover. It cut the Lancers' lead to 35-26 at halftime.
Sky View finally caught up to Layton at the free throw line. Archibald, Chapman and Carlsen each hit a pair of free throws to tie the game. Then Carlsen drilled a 3-pointer with 55.7 left in the third quarter to give the Bobcats their first lead at 48-47.
"I just saw the score and I was like, 'I can't let my team down,'" Bassett said. "I just wanted to give my all because it's my last game in high school before I go to college."
Layton finally pulled away late in the fourth quarter behind Bassett's scoring. She capped off an 8-0 run with back-to-back layups to give the Lancers a 62-53 lead with 2:21 remaining.
The Bobcats did not threaten the Lancers again after that point.
"Haley carried us on her shoulders," Layton coach Van Price said. "She just would not be stopped."
Bountiful 62, Springville 43
Kennedy Redding, Bountiful
File photo by Dave Argyle
A collarbone injury forced
Kennedy Redding to miss the last four games of the regular season. Redding was determined that her high school basketball career with Bountiful was not going to end sitting on the bench.
"I didn't want to think about it," Redding said. "I knew I was coming back."
Redding did not waste that comeback. She did what she has always done best and dominated on both ends of the court. The senior center put the Braves on her back, scoring 28 points, collecting 21 rebounds and blocking four shots to lead Bountiful to the 4A title at Salt Lake Community College.
It marked the first state title for Bountiful (21-3) since 2001.
Amy Chidester scored 12 points and
Jaimee Stahle added 11 points for the Braves.
Springville (22-3) fell short of claiming its fifth state title in seven seasons after shooting just 23.5 percent (12 of 51) from the floor.
Lydia Austin scored 14 points to lead the Red Devils while
Savannah Sumsion chipped in 12 points and four steals.
Springville played Bountiful tough during the first quarter. The Red Devils took a 13-11 lead going into the second quarter when Austin drained a 3-pointer with three seconds left. At that point, Redding took over and put the game out of reach.
She dominated around the rim on both ends of the court, making it difficult for the Red Devils to get clean shots or close down lanes to basket. Redding converted a three-point play to give the Braves a 16-13 lead and scored 11 total points to fuel a 21-1 run that put Bountiful up 32-14 with 1:30 left before halftime. The senior outscored the entire Springville team 18-16 in the first half.
"That first quarter was tight back and forth all throughout the quarter," Bountiful coach Joel Burton said. "I thought it was great for our kids to come out and set the momentum and say, 'This game is ours.' They had that belief in themselves from minute one out here."
Springville rallied after Sumison made several big baskets, culminating with a jumper with 30 seconds left in the third quarter that cut Bountiful's lead to 44-35. The Braves responded by opening the fourth quarter with an 8-0 run. Redding capped the run by converting another three-point play and hitting a pair of free throws to put Bountiful up 52-35.
The Red Devils scored just one total basket in the second quarter and were limited to a single field goal again in the fourth quarter.
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
