Utah County schools boost 5A

No one is complaining about the new realignment that moved six Utah County schools to 5A, but most coaches agree the change made 5A girls basketball much more competitive and much more exciting.

For one thing, the move put 11-time state champion Mountain View back in 5A after four years in 4A. It also moved Lone Peak and Timpanogos into 5A, and both programs appear to be tougher than ever. The Knights were voted the No. 4 team in the larger classification in pre-season polls, and although they lost a double-overtime thriller to Clearfield, they've also won some big games against solid 5A programs.

The Bruins boast not only a history of winning no matter what classification they're in and a national ranking, but one of the best players in the state wears Mountain View's uniform in Stanford-bound Michelle Harrison. The 6'2" senior can do it all, and in the Nike Tournament of Champions last week, she broke Utah's block record despite a debilitating case of food poisoning.

Mountain View's strength is that they won't rely only on Harrison for offense or defense. Senior point guard Maylene Ornelas moves the ball well and can knock down shots from the perimeter to keep teams spread out against the Bruins.

Lone Peak is led by Caitlin Sears, but they have a number of very athletic and very hard working players who make the Knights a tough, physical team. The team's only loss in state is to Clearfield, where another of the state's top players, guard Haley Hall, scored 35 points to carry her team to a win.

The Falcons success is evidence of how very competitive 5A basketball is this season as they weren't even voted in the top five in pre-season polls. With forward Amy Arbon, guard Ashley Washburn and center Alena Shelton, a soccer player who didn't play last season, the team is physical and can score both in the paint and from beyond the 3-point line.

"If we can speed up the game and stay under control, we could end up being very good," said Clearfield coach Dorne Hall, who took over the program just this fall. Solid Region 1 teams like Fremont, Weber and even last year's champion, Layton, have also proved to be contenders in the pre-season.

The Layton girls basketball team was so deep last year, there were players on the bench who might have started at another school.

"I think people thought we were going to be down this year," said first-year coach Rob Reisbeck, who took over the Lancers girls basketball program this fall when long-time