5A girls basketball semifinal: American Fork reaches title contest

TAYLORSVILLE — They've been dreaming of this moment for the last five years, and that dream is finally becoming a reality as the American Fork Cavemen have finally arrived in the 5A girls state championship game.

They halted a nightmare run by Jordan in the late third and early fourth quarters, then settled themselves in for the eventual 51-42 victory and a shot at Skyline in the final at 8 tonight.

Though a couple of late losses in the Region 4 season dropped them from the top five rankings, this team never believed it was anything but championship caliber, and that swagger has shown all week as the Cavemen made their way through the bracket with relative ease.

"I'm just excited for the girls. This has been a goal of theirs since this group of girls (juniors) were seventh-graders," said American Fork coach Corey Clayton.

"It hasn't really sunk in yet," added junior Kaycee Mansfield, who finished the game with 15 points, seven rebounds and a pair of assists. She was also the player that stopped that nightmarish run the Beetdiggers put on late in the game.

The Cavemen used most of the first three quarters to play their game and build up a comfortable 37-22 lead, but it almost disappeared in just a few quick moments.

Izzy Gustafson sank three free throws to finish off the scoring in the third stanza and give her team plenty of momentum heading into the fourth.

Bev Smith quickly followed with a trey to start the final period, then it was off to the races with Kaylie Robison leading the way. Four layups later, the Beetdiggers found they were only behind 37-36 with plenty of time remaining.

"Robison is strong and got a couple of offensive putbacks in there, and we gave no help on Smith," said Clayton, who noted that he was impressed with Jordan's heart and character.

"They're in the final four of the state tournament. By the time you reach that point, everybody's good," he added.

But that was where the American Fork generosity ended, and the team decided it was time to stop struggling and finish off the game strong. And it was Mansfield that finally ended the Jordan 14-0 run with a layup that gave the Cavemen not only a three-point lead but also more life.

"I didn't even know it was that close until I looked at the scoreboard. ... It (the layup) felt good. They just kept coming back, and it got to one, and then we were able to make a stop and make a run," said Mansfield, who had plenty of help from her teammates in that late-game run.