LEHI — Though basketball is a team game, and the entire Lehi team was needed in its 48-43 victory over Orem, much of the credit could go directly to Jackie Cattani and the final minutes of the first half.

The Pioneers had taken a 14-6 lead at the end of the first quarter over the inexperienced Tigers, but that was when Orem came to play, putting on a strong half-court press and taking the intensity up a notch. That intense defensive effort helped Orem go on a 14-0 run to start the second quarter and put them in charge with a 20-14 lead.

But then it was Cattani's turn. After Haylee Hunter stopped the bleeding with a putback to cut the Orem lead to four, Cattani started launching the ball from long distance, sinking three treys in a row, the final one with only three seconds left before half, and giving her team a 25-20 lead heading into halftime. But more than the slim lead, she helped her team build up its confidence and a little momentum heading into the second half.

"We got into panic mode when they made some baskets and put on a half court press instead of the zone defense, but (Cattani) stepped it up and was patient. She took it upon herself to get those three straight shots. They did well holding their composure today and didn't let a few mistakes get to them," Lehi coach Kahlil Sikander said.

Cattani finished the game with a team-high 15 points after helping the team right itself midway through the second.

The rest of the Lehi squad put up a very balanced effort, and the Lehi guards really took things on their shoulders as some of the Lehi offense was taken away by a great defensive effort from Orem.

"They were double and triple teaming us, and our guards played well. They executed, made Orem play defense and wore them down. It was a great effort. We played our hearts out tonight," Sikander said.

Though he plays two seniors for plenty of minutes, only six points came from the elder statesmen. The team counted on plenty of juniors, who are finally starting to get some experience under their belts after a couple of tough seasons.

Briar Sands finished with eight points, and Gabby Granthan added six. Katie Rogers and Haylee Hunter each finished with four from the junior corps. Sophomore Elle Brainard added six points from the center spot.

While the Lehi squad played with a balanced effort, though a little more sedate from their usual run-and-gun offense, the Tigers counted heavily on the efforts of two girls.

Maggie Plothow drained a game-high 18 points for the Tigers, and Angie Helsten added 14, including eight during the 14-point run in the second quarter.

The Pioneers picked up their first win of the preseason with the victory, and Orem dropped its first match of the year to drop to 0-1 in the young season.

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