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Girls basketball: Kitchen, Davis snap Fremont’s 73-game, 6-year region win streak

By Bob Judson - Special to the Standard-Examiner | Jan 24, 2023
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Davis player Kate Richards, center, drives against Fremont's Charli Hunt, left, on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023, in Kaysville.
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Fremont's Kaidance King, center, is surrounded by Davis players Olivia Lifferth, left, and Kendra Kitchen, right, on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023, in Kaysville.
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Davis player Kendra Kitchen rises for a shot against Fremont's Saydee Heslop on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023, in Kaysville.
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Davis player Chloe Peery, left, challenges Fremont's Syncere Langston (24) on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023, in Kaysville.
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Davis player Kendra Kitchen sizes up the Fremont defense on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023, in Kaysville.
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Fremont guard Taylah Doxey dribbles against Davis on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023, in Kaysville.
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Davis player Avery Dain passes the ball against Fremont on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023, in Kaysville.
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Fremont guard Charli Hunt surveys the floor against Davis on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023, in Kaysville.
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Fremont's Charli Hunt, blue, and Davis' Olivia Lifferth, white, battle for the basketball on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023, in Kaysville.
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Fremont guard Sierra Eddie (12) dribbles against Davis on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023, in Kaysville.

KAYSVILLE — Fremont High girls basketball embarked on a 73-game Region 1 winning streak with a victory over Northridge on the road February 3, 2017.

Since that time, the Silverwolves have been blessed with generally good guard play and a plethora of powerful post players, including collegians Emma Calvert, Maggie Mendelson and Timea Gardiner.

So, it may be fitting how the streak stopped at 73, due primarily to the efforts of 6-foot-1 Davis junior post Kendra Kitchen and diminutive freshman point guard T’Maea Eteuati.

Trailing after the first quarter, Davis dominated the rest of the way and beat Fremont at its own game, capturing a definitive, 48-35 win in a battle of Region 1 unbeatens.

“We knew they were a good team coming in; they’ve been state champs and won region and all of that. That streak is so big. I don’t know how they did that, it’s crazy,” Kitchen said. “We had a good practice yesterday and were focused, prepared and ready to play them.”

Fremont led 10-8 after the first quarter, but then Davis did what the Silverwolves have done to so many opponents over the years — played lock-down defense over the middle two quarters.

After the Silverwolves had scored eight quick points midway through the first quarter, the Darts (13-1, 6-0 Region 1) held them to just a single bucket the rest of the quarter — then four points in the second stanza and seven in the third, helping Davis take a 28-21 lead after three periods.

“We knew there were a lot of screens coming, so we had to pick up our communication game and that really helped us, and blocking out on rebounds,” Kitchen said.

Eteuati played a big part on offense during that defensive stretch, coming off the bench to hit a 3-pointer to close an 8-3 gap in the first quarter to 8-6, then splashing a 3 with 1:14 left in the third, giving the Darts a 28-20 lead.

“My attitude every time I come in, is I need to show that I can play, to prove it because I’m a freshman,” Eteuati said. “This is my first season so I need to come off the bench and give energy. I don’t want any drop-off in play when I come in. People don’t expect it, so it’s kind of like a surprise attack; then I have really good teammates that I can rely on and count on.”

She scored 10 points on the night, and had a key steal and basket in the fourth quarter to help put the game on ice.

“We thought we just needed to keep pushing the ball and working hard; there’s no time for us to let down,” Eteuati said.

Saydee Heslop made a baseline jumper for Fremont to open the final frame, but then Kitchen dashed any hopes of a comeback, scoring eight straight points in the next 2 minutes, including a pair of threes.

“I was just open and they found me. I knocked them down. I was just confident and hit them,” Kitchen said. I feel like I’m a natural leader and it’s important for me to take charge and help the team get a win.”

Kitchen was on fire, racking up a double-double with 27 points and 11 rebounds. She scored nine points in the first half and 14 in the fourth quarter, including 6 of 6 from the free-throw line — and threw in five blocks for good measure. She made 11 of 12 charity tosses on the night.

Fremont (11-6, 5-1) seemed out of sorts all game long, more due to what Davis was doing on both ends of the court than the weight of the streak.

“I’m sure they’re aware of it, that they haven’t lost a region game in their career. But credit to Davis, they came out and played really tenacious defense and kind of took us out of some of the things we like to do,” Fremont coach Lisa Dalebout said. “We just needed to respond a little better.

“All good things come to an end; we’re excited to try and figure out some things, learn from this and do what we do best. Good things usually come after these situations.”

Sierra Eddie led Fremont with nine points on a trio of treys and Ally Coombs netted eight. Syncere Langston came off the bench to score seven points.

The Silverwolves go back on the road Friday at Farmington to try and start a new streak of one in a row.

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