PLEASANT VIEW — If not for 7-of-16 fourth quarter free-throw shooting, it could have been a Braves’ blowout.
Bountiful High led wire-to-wire Friday, and with a decisive rebounding advantage whipped the state 5-A runner-up Warriors 69-56 in a non-league game in Richard R. Conolly Gymnasium.
“This was our most complete game of the season, by far,” said Braves coach Joel Burton. “Give the kids the credit; they played their hearts out. Shots were falling for them that hadn’t been before.”
The Braves bolted to a 21-9 first-quarter lead, but Weber trimmed the deficit to eight points at halftime. The Warriors trailed 55-45 after three quarters.
“This is not what we expected,” said Weber senior point guard Erin Reichle. “You can’t give up 69 points and expect to win. I give props to Bountiful. They play on-point defense, which is up in your face and intense defense.”
The 17-year-old Reichle, who came in as the state’s No. 3 scorer averaging 22.71 points per game, was limited to 18 points — her second-lowest scoring game this season — with two 3-pointers.
She didn’t score in Weber’s 11-point fourth quarter.
“They got too many boards, which led to their transition game,” said Reichle, who has signed with Dixie State. “We made some runs to cut into the lead, but then we couldn’t get a (defensive) stop.
“We have to remember how this feels, but move on and take this as motivation to work hard and continue getting better,” she said.
Junior guard Hannah Charlton splashed in a career-high 23 points, nailing five of the Warriors’ eight 3s. No other player scored more than five points for Weber (6-2 overall), which committed 21 turnovers in having its two-game winning streak snapped.
The Warriors started the season 4-0.
“It was a great win over Weber. We expected a battle and we got one,” Burton said. “We ran the ball better than we have all year. Most of the time we have players on the wing converting. Tonight we had that consistently.”
Ashley Eyring tossed in a career-high 23 points with three 3-pointers for Bountiful (4-3), which had 22 turnovers in its second straight victory. Kennedy Merrick had 17 points and two 3s and Tiana Dougher dropped in 12 points.
The Braves’ trio combined for 52 points.
“We had a couple of girls who have been struggling at the free-throw line and they missed free throws (in the fourth quarter),” Burton said. “But we were pushing the ball and did well in transition tonight.”
• MORGAN 50, DELTA 37: At Richfield’s Sevier Valley Center, the Trojans outscored the Rabbits 29-13 in the second half to earn a road victory.
McKenzie Schenk scored a team-high 15 points, Keirsha Dickson added 12 and Lisa VanCampen chipped in 10 to go with nine rebounds in the win.
• DAVIS 47, CLEARFIELD 20: At Kaysville, the Darts rushed out to a 35-11 halftime edge in the non-league game.
Natalie Mecham led Davis with 15 points and seven rebounds. Jessica Richardson added 10 points with nine rebounds.
Bailey Douglas led Clearfield with seven points.
• RIVERTON 60, ROY 48: At Roy, the host Royals made a furious comeback but couldn’t overcome a poor opening quarter.
The visiting Silverwolves led 23-9 at the first stop. Whitney Saunders led Riverton with 16 points.
Roy got 26 points from Jordynn Barrera. Kaitlyn Hurley scored 15 points, while Sid Bodily chipped in with 15 boards on the night. The Royals managed just a 13 of 23 mark at the foul line.
• LAYTON 67, MURRAY 34: At Roy, the Lancers won their Royal Winter Tournament opener, surging out to a 45-20 lead at the break.
Cassidy Anderson and Maddi Smith scored 16, Taylor Moore added nine and Ashley Price chipped in with eight points for Layton.
Brittany Golder led the Spartans with 10 points.
• ST. JOSEPH 51, WENDOVER 16: At West Wendover, the Jayhawks won the opener of the two-game tournament.
No other details were provided.
• MOUNTAIN CREST 61, LONE PEAK 33: At Hyrum, the Mustangs rolled to a 28-point blowout of the Knights.
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