Show B2 — The Herald Journal Logan Utah Sunday February 29 2004 siDdv® DDOfflWffiffff 'DMDjjftMi Lead from start to finish And it was defense that would lead it to victory Aird who had five steals Thursday More than just intuition Utah against Long Beach Stale continued her outstanding post defense by State center Ali Aird had a good about knocking down several entry passes Saturday’s game feeling and stealing three others Anne-Mar- ie She felt her team was going to Ibrp and Brittany TYessler also play great defense so much so that had three thefts apiece while Zdenek a modest amount of points would and Johnston — through trapping do the job against UC Irvine Anteater guards — created havoc to “I was talking to (teammate) those takeaways create Grant before the game Stephanie UCI turned the ball over 24 times and I'm like ‘if we score over 60' ' About half the total came during the points we're going to win” Aird first six and final seven minutes of said die game ended The Aggies up UTAH STATE The Aggies who never with 61 WOMEN’S trailed jumped out to a More than enough to BASKETBALL 17-- 5 lead about six minprevail utes into thegame To USU turned in perhaps Aggies 61 that its best performance of point the Anteaters Anteaters 46 showed no semblance of the season beating UCI 61-4- 6 at the Smith Spectrum to fluidity Kristen Green (14 points remain in the hunt for eighth place eight assists) and Christina Callmid the final Big West Conference away (11 points) appeared to be their only scoring threats Tournament spot UCI would recover somewhat “We knew we had to come out but a the deficit to 25-2- 0 I whole and the 40 minutes cutting tough 7-- 3 USU run to end the half put really feel like we did” Aird said the advantage back up to nine A win for the Anteaters (6-1-8 5-In the second half the Anteaters meant overall league) to create layup opportuthe in a tournament managed clinching spot nities trimming the Aggie lead to Anything other than a victory for 5-- 1 Those familiar with USU the Aggies 0 2) drained all 38-3- 5 feel as if its typical second-ha- lf to had seaof their oiit regular meaning son finale Friday vs Idaho lapse was in motion Hie' Make no mistake: This was a Aggies led at the break in several contests onlyto lose focus as other game the final 20 minutes began squan“They played inspired" Aggie dering the lead in the process coach Raegan Pebley said “I was It didn’t happen this time the to that they stepped up proud The urgency of the situation challenge” wouldn’t allow it It was players like Aird (14 USU closed with a 23-1- 1 run to 10 Christina rebounds) points )1 rebounds) put aWay UCI giving the home Zdenek(21 points and Tenin Johnston ( 1 1 points three team its biggest margin of victory this season assists) who led the way for USU Consistency By David Cordero sports writer key in USU win By Slav Pane sports writer The Utah State womens basketball team kept its tournament hopes alive with its biggest win 6 of the season against visiting UC Irvine The victory itself was much enjoyed The way the Aggies did it — by maintaining their halftime lead and putting away the Anteaters — was just as encouraging The Aggies led Long Beach at the half Thursand ended up losing so they needed day 5 to find a way to keep up their defensive intensity and hold on for a crucial win “We have had leads before but at halftime we have come out slow and sluggish We tried to play like we were still down so we’d play harder” said sophomore forward Jessica Freeman who suffered a broken thumb earlier this week but played an active role on the bench trying to keep her teammates’ spirit up The closest UC Irvine came to tying die contest was three points at 5 with 12:50 to go in the second half but countered with a 10-- 4 run of their own UCI never got closer than six after that total in The Aggies recorded a double-dig- it steals (11) fra the second straight game and ' 4 held a significant advantage in turnovers The pressure of a only seemed to spark the Aggie defense as Utah State started the contest with a9-- 0 run and held the lead for remainder of die game “Tliey did have a bit of run but the thing is we stuck with it and have confidence on defense to get us through you have to put two halves together” said guard Christina Zdenek first The Aggies did just that with a half and followed that with 29 points in the sec- ond USU shot an solid 78 percent from the line for the contest which they did by forcing UCI to foul while trying to contain 61-4- 28-2- 38-3- 11 16-2- must-win-ga- (5-2- db-or-d- ie - Mitch MnnmnWHnmld Journal Utah State guard Christina Zdenek gets a pass off after falling to the floor Saturday at the Spectrum She scored 21 points against UC Irvine “We just kept pushing it at them” Zdenekrsaid “You could tell they didn’t have as much heart as we did they didn’t go after the loose balls like we did We just 32-poi- nt wanted it so much more” UCI coach Mark Abrams con- curred free-thro- w 7 See ALIVE onB4 See KEY on B4 ROUNDBALL BOON Another season wi Four teams still alive for final week Erickson was told this would be his last season on the Mustang sidelines With no seniors on die team Erickson’s squad could have just went through the motions bin chose to fight to the end “We’ve just continued to work” Erickson said “It’s a credit to all the girls from where they started to where they are now It feels good I’m pleased with where the program i at” The Mustangs gained a ton of experience this year with juniors Lydia White-hea- d Katie Richardson Kim Crosbie and Diana Nelson and freshman Jayce Stewart all back as starters “We have great potential” Richardson said “We just need to put it all together By The Herald Journal sports staff As another high school hoops season winds down this will be the final Roundball Roundup Sky View and Mountain Crest were the final girls teams to bow out Both lost in the first round of the state tournament last Monday: On the boys side four schools are headed to state as MarpIfMadness gets started early in Cache Valley and Sky View (10-1Mountain Crest(12-10- ) begin play in Utah on Tuesday In Idaho Preston (21-0- ) and travel to the Boise area to begin West Side (14-1playon Thursday It should be a wild final week : 1) season-endin- ' ! ‘ a representative from Team Utah But Hansen fore her ACL MCL and meniscus iiga: ments in her right knee plus suffered a fracture in her right leg back on Jan 20 in a game against Mountain Crest So the Bobcat guard wijl not be traveling to either Australia Aruba the Caribbean or Hawaii this summer They were the four destinations for prep basketball piayers Hansen who averaged 124 points in 14 games this season qualified for Junior Nationals in 2003 Her top concern now is to get her knee healed and hope- fully get a chance to play at the next level ' Six on five When Mountain Crest coach Jim CtOsbie unloaded his bench during the fourth quarter of Wednesday’s blow-ovictory over Roy he accidentally sent six ' pfoyra onto the court “I looked down at the bench and I thought I saw five kids with warmups on so I knew they hadn’t r been in” Crpsbie explained of the gaff “So I said ut 7'v' ' ‘All of you go’ ‘‘And I think all six just ' W v went Oh well” Fortunately fra the Mustangs they got the extra " player' who turned but to be junior RUey Hedin off - in time before a technical foul was assessed “We just wanted tp get everybody in” Crosbie said “We had some kids that had never been in” Big Kavic’s nigjht For the Sky View boys Wednesday was Senior Night and as expected upperclassmen like Tyler God- - 7 frey (23 points) told Ryan Doyle (11 points) shined What wasn’t a sure thing was Kavic Merrill’s ’ 7V superlative effort on the boards 'Or was it?'- 7 : : ' Though a starter for the Bobcats Merrill hasn’t serai excessive minutes playing about half the time The only Sky View player with appreciable height and and 230 pounds often is weight Merrill at substituted for a quicker player when the team is looking toput more defensive pressure on an opponent Usually that opponent is bigger Not so with Logan Wednesday night The Grizzlies may be a toifch taller than the Bobcats but notmorc than an inch or two across die board Coach Tbidl Baldwin x Field Goals int 41 36 28 25 25 3 Cody Webb SV 4 Kelly Rawlings P 4 Danny Beutler WS 6 Kyle Heusser P 7 Kolby Rawlings P 8 Dani Bates L 9 Preston Call WS 10 Ben Macey L 21 20 17 14 13 Girls Scoring : 134 124 Candace Biittars WS 2 Hayley Hansen SV 3 Tammy Ulgaese WS 4 Tonya Jensen SV 1 110 104 5 Lydia Whitehead MC 96 There were plenty of tears shed Mon6 Libbie Linton L 95 day atlhc state tournament after a 1 89 loss The Mustangs felt they should have 7: April Hansen SV 8 Kirstin Biittars WS 80 won and they didn’t want to send their 9 Trisha Carrion SV 69 coach off with a loss 10 Erica Johnson P 65 “It was hard really hard since we 11 L Alisha Gudmundson : 62 lost” Nelson said 12 Kim Crosbie MC 59 “He is a good guy” Kim Crosbie said 13 Katie Richardson MC 57 can find a coach “Hopefully they good 14 Jenny Miller L ' 56 that is as good as he is” MC 15 Diana Nelson 54 Whoever gets the job will inherit a 15 Allison GambleP 54 team with lots of game experience : Drib does fail Girls Field Goals Before any boys games were played 1 Alisha Gudmundson L 31 on Wednesday night a coin flip was held 2 SV Hansen 26 Hayley ' in Brigham City to determine seedings Libbie L Linton 2 26 into the upcoming state playoffs ' 21 4 Trisha Carrion SV Thanks to Mountain Crest’s outgoing 5 Candace Biittars WS 18 athletics director Logan won the toss 16 6 Katie Richardson MC when Dan Cox called tails 7 Michelle Bergsjo L : 15 Cox said the reason he made the call Mitch MascaroHerald Journal 12 8 Megan Johnson L 11 9 Allison Gamble P Mountain Crest’s Bradey Monson goes to the hoop against was because his counterpart at Logan 10- MykelBeoiichiaSV' 9 Roy The Mustangs and Sky View BobcaiB wH be in action Ron McBride said whenever he calls it the Grizzlies lose So up stepped Cox Tuesday at the 4A state tournament : with the assurance that ‘Tails never foils” knew this and issued achallenge to his powerful center Unfortunately Tor the Mustangs it did “I said ‘Kavic for us to win you have to be better this time than you’ve ever been on the boards tonight’” Bald- -' InsptratkmaLlayer win recalled “He looked me straight in the eyeand In his senior season at Mountain Crest nodded his head like he was going to get it done' Kellen Knowles probably doesn’t get as Brent Pickett1 Mountain Crest There was nothing else to do but believe him” Pickett a much playing time as he would like for junior forward His faith was rewarded as Merrill pulled down a the Mustangs played a big role In the Mustangs maknine rebounds and kept the Grizzlies from game-high ing U to the state tournament He e 7 SeeROUNDBALLon B4 scored 44 points grabbed 23 rebounds getting many opportunities : and (fished out three asists in twp wins Sky View won 2 to secure a spot in the 4A state tournament It will play Lone Peak (20-1- ) Tonya Jensen Sky View which many consider tobethe best ieam in the 4A Jensen a junior turned in classification' s herthiid straight point game on a PfctaretMs state the at She tournament Monday The basketball program for die 4A-- 5 A girls basket- finished with 20 points five rebounds ball state championships had an interesting photo on blocked a shot and had an i the cover— Morgan’s Shannon Evans :r 1 Brent Pickett MC 163 The Trojan girls did repeat as Mate champions Sat-- 2 KeBy Rawlings P 144 urday So what’s the problem? ' 3 Jake Bassett MC 124 Well Morgan is a 3A school Maybe next year the 7 4 Shawn Ofivereon P 117 Utah High School Activities Association can put a 4A or 4 Cody Webb SV 117 5A girl on the cover of the 4A-5basketball program 11 6 Ryan Doyle SV 7- Team without a coach "if I was Mountain View i wouidnt 7 Robert Bingham WS 113 the Mountain Crest girls woo four of their last seven 8 Kaden Cotnadena L 106 want to ptay us We're high as a kite 9 Kolby Rawlngs P games to make the state tournament where the Mus102 right now” — Mountain Crest senior tangs came close to upsetting Orem in the first round 100 point guant Jake Bassett on Tbesdas Danny Beutler WS Just prior to starting region play MC coach Art 1i Dani Bales d state playott game 95 36-3- Cruel twist g Just a week after suffering a injury in January Sky View senior Hayley Hansen received information she had been nominated to represent lire United States iri a 2004 International Basketball Tournament with Sprats Tours USA She would have been Boys Jake Barnett MC 2 lyier Godfrey SV 1 (nextyear)” 0) " 95 94 93 85 85 Godfrey SV 13 Bradey Monson MC 14 Chris Larsen P 15 Brok Nelson L 15 Ben Macey L 11 Tyler - - " ’ 3-po-lnt ‘ : - : ' : 'i second-chanc- 58-4- - s - m : - 20-piu- v A : - la I V fhst-toun- r''v- '' |