High school basketball: Lyman's double-double powers Enterprise past North Sevier in 2A girls tournament

RICHFIELD – A second-place finish to Beaver in Region 13 has made it easy to forget that Enterprise enjoyed one of the more impressive regular seasons in 2A this season.

The Wolves certainly don't want people to forget what they are capable of doing. Coming from Region 13 – one that hasn't had a ton of recent postseason success – they are eager to prove they are as legit of a title threat as any team in this year's 2A girls basketball tournament.

"A lot of people think we're (in) the weakest region," junior forward Tressa Lyman said. "But we actually have a lot of good teams."

If Lyman has any more performances like she enjoyed against North Sevier, Enterprise will not have to worry about gaining respect.

Lyman scored 16 points and pulled down 14 rebounds to help the Wolves pull away from their namesake in the fourth quarter of 45-34 quarterfinal victory at the Sevier Valley Center on Thursday evening.

Her impact was most felt by North Sevier during the second half when Lyman teamed Jodi Williams – who finished with 14 points – to rain down one basket after another on the Wolves from Sevier County.

Lyman scored back-to-back layups to help Enterprise stake out a 27-19 lead midway through the third quarter. Then, after North Sevier rallied to tie the game – knotting it at 30-30 on a basket from McKinzie Robins with 4:24 remaining in the fourth – Williams and Lyman alternated baskets and free throws that fueled a game ending 15-4 run for the Wolves from Southern Utah.

Defense is the factor that Lyman pointed to in opening things up for the duo down the stretch.

"All at once it all came together and we all played defense good," Lyman said. "Everyone was giving their all on the floor and that's what made the difference."

Defense was a huge factor in the first half too. Enterprise held North Sevier to just a single field goal – a basket from Paige Blomquist with 1:34 left before halftime – in the second quarter. That dry spell for those Wolves was a boon for the other Wolves. Enterprise extended a 13-10 lead to 19-10 with a pair of baskets from Lyman bookending one from Williams.

Robins was the only player for North Sevier to reach double figures. She finished with just 10 points. Holding her down was a focal point for Enterprise in its efforts to contain the Wolves' offense.

"She's their best player and their best scorer," Lyman said. "We just worked to shut her down and just try to take her out of the game."

e-mail: jcoon@desnews.com