CEDAR CITY— It is scary just how good South Sevier may become.

The Rams were already good enough to win the 2A state championship Saturday night, 56-52 over their rivals from North Sevier, but the really frightening part for all the opposing schools, almost everyone will be back next year to defend the hard-earned title.

"What a great group of young players," said Coach Randy Madsen. "These kids have been working hard all year and they really deserved to end it this way."

Sophomores Aubrey Lindgren and Jadie Parsons have been the leaders of the South Sevier offense all year, so it wasn't any surprise to see the way the pair ran that offense to perfection. Lindgren got the team started early as she hit for six of the team's nine points in the opening quarter.

"I was a little nervous starting, but I got over it pretty quickly," said Lindgren, the tournament MVP. "Once we got playing, I just tried to treat it like any other game."

It was a little more obvious that the importance of the moment got to Parsons as she missed her first five shots before getting on the board with a pair of free throws in the second quarter, but her ball handling and assists were just as big.

"Yeah, my nerves were a little shaky," Parsons said. "It was a good thing that the others picked it up for me."

A couple who picked up the slack were the two seniors, Amanda Gay and Arlee Sudweeks. Gay had eight of her 10 points in the opening half while Sudweeks scored all six of hers in the second half.

"I thought our two seniors did a great job for us tonight," said Madsen. "All year those two have been terrific examples and leaders for our team."

North Sevier hung tough as its two stars, Chanda Hollows and Melissa Porter, led the way. Hollows led all scorers with her 22 points, including 10 in the fourth quarter, as the Wolves tried to scrap back in it. Porter was the most consistent player for the team as she finished with 16 points.

But it was South Sevier's night as the Rams continued to execute. Their specialty was a play they called crimson, or 35. Time and again Lindgren would flash to the high post and collect a pass. She would then turn and either shoot or dish to an open teammate. As a result, she finished with 18 points, seven rebounds and six assists.

"She can go inside or score outside," said Madsen of his star. "She is just an all-around great player."

Now that the Rams have the title, they can start preparing for next year with their great class of sophomores coming back. But first they get to celebrate.

"I am just excited to get to ride on the fire trucks," said Parsons. "I watched the guys last year after they won it, and I have just been looking forward to doing that all year."

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E-mail: mblack@desnews.com