Prep basketball playoffs: Box Elder girls battle but fall to Bountiful in 5A semis
Layton Christian boys reach 4A championship game
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- Box Elder’s Ashlyn Wight (1) drives against Bountifuls’ Taylor Harvey in the 5A basketball semifinals Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2024, in Salt Lake City.
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- Box Elder players Olivia Godfrey, top left, and Madi Thurgood, right, defend Bountiful’s Adelaide Stevenson (4) in the 5A basketball semifinals Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2024, in Salt Lake City.
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- Box Elder and Bountiful battle in the 5A basketball semifinals Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2024, in Salt Lake City.
SALT LAKE CITY — Box Elder High’s girls basketball team put together one of its best seasons in recent history, reaching 20 wins, earning a first-round playoff bye, and defeating Northridge and Olympus on the way to the 5A state semifinals.
For a long stretch Tuesday afternoon at the Huntsman Center, it appeared the historic run might continue. But the reason Box Elder didn’t claim a region title is the same reason the Bees won’t reach the state final: the Bountiful Redhawks.
No. 4 Box Elder battled well but No. 1 Bountiful ended the third quarter on a 19-0 run to quickly turn around what was a competitive game, and the Redhawks claimed a 61-53 win.
Ashlyn Wight, who fought through a foot injury down the stretch of the season, led Box Elder with 20 points. Madi Thurgood added 15 points and five rebounds. Kamri Andersen had eight points, and Kaydence Barber racked up seven steals. Six of her steals came in the first half. Box Elder shot 22 of 44 from the field.
Barber finished with 21 steals (seven per game) in three playoff contests.
Harvey still poured in 30 points for Bountiful, adding seven rebounds and five blocks. The college-bound volleyball player shot 9 of 15, including 3 of 4 from distance, while going 9 of 10 at the foul line. Milika Satuala added 17 points, 11 rebounds and five assists.
Box Elder has reached the state semifinals only twice (2017, 2024) since at least 1990 when the UHSAA’s yearly online records begin. The Bees eyed their first title-game appearance possibly since the program’s 3A title in 1981 when Wight canned a 3 and Thurgood drove for a three-point play to put the Bees ahead 34-31 with 4:12 left in the third quarter.
That’s when Bountiful went on its 19-0 run, holding Box Elder without points for five game minutes. The big momentum shift came early in the run when Harvey made a free throw, missed the second, her team boarded the miss and tossed it back to her for a jumper. Maleah Nelson hit a 3 on the next possession and suddenly Bountiful led 42-34.
By the end of the third, in which Bountiful held a 25-6 advantage, the Redhawks led 50-34.
The deficit got as large as 23 before Box Elder finished the game on a 17-2 run with two 3s from Jocelyn Vranes and another from Wight.
Box Elder finishes with a 20-6 record. Bountiful (23-3) advances to defend its 5A title at 11 a.m. Friday.
LAYTON CHRISTIAN 68, GREEN CANYON 54
OREM — When Layton Christian and Green Canyon faced off on Dec. 8, GC won at home 67-64 in overtime. When asked about that game in Monday’s post-quarterfinals interview, LCA coach Casey Stanley said, “They kicked our butts.”
Layton Christian Academy boys basketball got its revenge Tuesday evening, turning a two-point halftime lead into a 4A state semifinal win over No. 4 Green Canyon (20-6) at Utah Valley University.
Top-seeded Layton Christian (25-3) trailed 15-8 late in the first quarter before scoring five straight to end the frame. The Eagles took their first lead 24-23 when Otavio Armani hit a 3-pointer. LCA would not trail again, taking a 29-27 advantage into the break.
Layton Christian led 49-42 after three quarters and used its depth and hot shooting at the foul line to pull away in the final frame. The Eagles shot 13 of 16 from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter and 22 of 30 for the game.
“We practice hard every day,” Stanley said in a postgame interview about his team’s conditioning and depth. “Our guys keep pushing, cycling enough guys in and out to get fresh legs in there.”
Luka Kulundzic led LCA with 20 points off the bench, including four 3-pointers and 9 of 11 from the charity stripe. Armani tallied 14 points with two treys and 4 of 4 from the line.
Allan Gballou scored 12 points, with dunks on three of his four field goals, and went 4 of 6 from the charity stripe. Marcus Miles added seven points and one 3-pointer.
Jared Anderson, who scored 35 in the December game, led all scorers with 23 points for Green Canyon (20-6). Jaxon Drysdale hit four 3-pointers and scored 18 points in the first half, but was held to only four points after the break.
The Eagles will face No. 6 Cottonwood (21-5) in the 4A state championship game at 6 p.m. Wednesday at Utah Valley University.