Lone Peak claims the 6A basketball state championship towards Fremont after two overtimes on the Marriott Middle in Provo on Saturday, March 5, 2022. Mengshin Lin, Deseret Information
When the Lone Peak women basketball program final gained a state championship, Makeili Ika hadn’t even been born but.
After sinking a game-winning layup within the Knights’ semifinal sport towards Herriman on Thursday, the junior level guard had ice operating via her veins as soon as once more Saturday on the Marriott Middle.
Gaining possession with 2:08 to play within the second additional time of the 6A championship sport following Fremont’s Timea Gardiner’s two free throws that tied the sport at 65, the Knights sat on the ball — similar to they did within the semifinal — so as to take what they hoped can be the sport’s last shot.
With seconds to play, Ika drove, pulled up from the appropriate aspect of the ground and banked in a shot that may go down in Lone Peak historical past.
“While you watch her play, no second is just too huge for her,” Lone Peak head coach Nancy Warner mentioned of Ika. “She’s a competitor. She stepped up and did what she wanted to do.”
The made shot with 0.5 seconds to play gave Lone Peak a 67-65 victory over the defending 6A champions and its first state championship in 23 years.
“I did it for my household,” Ika mentioned via tears. “That is my hometown. I’m from Provo, and I received to take a state championship (right here), so it means quite a bit. I like this group. Undefeated.”
Not solely did the win clinch an undefeated season for the Knights, nevertheless it additionally ended Fremont’s 48-game in-state profitable streak.
The shot was a second probability for Ika, who missed a possible game-winning 3-pointer on the finish of regulation.
On the finish of the primary additional time, it was Fremont who sat on the ball for an opportunity on the game-winning shot.
Gardiner’s try glanced off the rim and was rebounded by Fremont, however neither of the following two putback makes an attempt fell.
In each potential game-winning conditions, each coaches referred to as a timeout in some unspecified time in the future to attract up a play, however on Ika’s game-winning play in additional time, Warner elected to not name a timeout so as to preserve Fremont’s Maggie Mendelson — who was on the bench to keep away from getting a fifth foul — off the ground.
The speaking level coming into the sport was whether or not or not the Knights may overcome Fremont’s vital measurement benefit, nevertheless it seems that Lone Peak had an equally necessary benefit in its potential to shoot from lengthy vary.
After hitting its first two 3-point makes an attempt early within the sport, Lone Peak went 0 for 7 the rest of the primary half and located itself trailing the Silverwolves by 9 factors on the break.
The second half was a a lot totally different story.
Over the course of the second half and the 2 additional time intervals, the Knights shot a blistering 9 for 14 from the 3-point line (64%).
Practically half of Lone Peak’s whole factors got here from past the arc (33 of 67 factors).
To ensure that the taking pictures to matter, Lone Peak nonetheless wanted to select up stops, they usually in the end did once they wanted them most.
“We went into halftime realizing we would have liked to focus in on the defensive finish and make no less than one cease, and we did,” Warner mentioned.
“They made the large photographs and that’s attribute of our group. Credit score to them for knocking them down on the large stage.”
Fremont’s prolonged duo of Mendelson and Gardiner nonetheless introduced issues for the Knights, particularly contained in the paint. Mendelson completed with a team-high 24 factors, whereas Gardiner completed with 23.
Fremont outscored Lone Peak within the paint 34-14, however regardless of their measurement benefit, the Silverwolves couldn’t include 6A’s main scorer, Kailey Woolston, who completed with a game-high 26 factors whereas additionally grabbing a game-high six boards.
“It’s loopy, it’s a dream come true,” Woolston mentioned. “We knew what we may do and we trusted one another a lot, and that’s all that mattered.”
Trailing Woolston had been Ika and sophomore Shawnee Nordstrom, who completed with 15 and 11 factors, respectively.
Regardless of being undersized compared, the Knights had been solely outrebounded by two in a formidable show of effort.
“We knew they had been taller than us, so we knew we needed to field out and work arduous,” Ika mentioned. “We may play quick and beat them down the courtroom, so we performed as quick as we may.”
Ika mentioned that she and her teammates had greater than sufficient power to proceed if a 3rd additional time was required.
For Warner, it was her fourth title win as a coach, with the opposite three coming throughout her tenure at Springville.
“This implies all the pieces,” Warner mentioned. “I’m so pleased for the ladies. They labored so arduous. It’s been a course of to get right here, and I simply really feel so pleased with them.”
With just one senior on the roster, Teuila Nawahine — who completed her last sport with 9 factors on three made 3-pointers — the Knights will carry again the majority of their rotation and can undoubtedly be the favorites to repeat subsequent yr.
However Warner, who coached Nawahine’s sister at Springville, mentioned the senior guard can be missed.
“She’s like a daughter to me. I really feel like all of them are my daughters,” Warner mentioned. “We’re going to overlook her and I’m so pleased with her.”
Deseret Information 6A women all-tournament group
MVP– Kailey Woolston, Lone Peak
Makeili Ika, Lone Peak
Timea Gardiner, Fremont
Maggie Mendelson, Fremont
Lexi Jensen, Herriman
Shawnee Nordstrom, Lone Peak