4A girls basketball championship: Sky View wins state title by exacting revenge on T-Birds

TAYLORSVILLE — Revenge can be sweet, almost sweeter than actually taking that elusive state championship game, and the Sky View players can attest to that.

"I can't tell you how amazing that feels. After the way they beat us last year, we wanted 'em this year, and we got 'em, and we knocked 'em out," said tournament MVP Amy Andrus after her team defeated the Timpview T-Birds in the 4A championship game 54-42 to take home the trophy.

It was in the semifinals last season that the Bobcats were blown off the court with a 70-24 whipping at the hands of the T-Birds, and this year, they set out not only to take that trophy themselves but to take out Timpview along the way.

"They took it to us last year, and this time it was our turn. It feels great. I've never had this experience before, and to get it now as a senior is awesome," said Natalie Harris, one of only three seniors on the Sky View team.

Even the coach agreed with his players' assessment of the situation, noting, "It was really sweet after last year. Our goal has been to keep moving up the ladder, and we did what we wanted to do."

And the Bobcats did it as a team with almost everyone contributing something to the winning effort. Nine players scored and 13 played, making Hansen note that he has so many players who deserve to play that it's hard to get them all the time that they deserve.

But they were led by sophomore Amy Andrus through most of this game and most of the tournament. She finished the contest with 13 points, 10 rebounds and three steals, garnering that MVP title, but it wasn't Andrus who finished the T-Birds off down the stretch. It was free throw shooting.

There wasn't much between these two teams throughout the entire first half as they fought through nine lead changes and finished the first 16 minutes at 23-21 with Sky View in the lead.

That lead came as Lindee McKinley drained a trey at the buzzer, giving the Bobcats the momentum heading into the second half. The Bobcats then went on a 12-1 run early in the third quarter, giving them the 10-point edge at 37-27. Then they held on through much of the rest of the game to a slight advantage until the T-Birds went on a five-point run to edge closer at 42-40 with about three minutes remaining.

From then it was a free throw shooting exhibition by the Bobcats as they went 10-10 from the line down the stretch, with Megan Hansen hitting six of those. She finished with eight points, going 8-for-8 from the line in the game. Danielle Egbert added 4-for-4 in that same stretch.