High school girls basketball: Wasatch puts an emphatic stamp on rivalry with Judge

In perhaps their last battle as region rivals, Wasatch and Judge staged an unforgettable show.

"I love playing Judge," said senior Kim Parker, who hit one of two free throws to give the Wasps the win by the slimmest margin possible 51-50. "It's a great atmosphere, great competition, everything. Their girls are great. There is just great sportsmanship between our two teams. Ever since I was young, it's always been a great game. I'm going to miss it."

The win ties Judge and Wasatch at the top of the Region 10 standings and was a fitting end to a rivalry that has been one of the most competitive in the state. Because of realignment, next year the two teams will be in different regions, and even if they get together for a pre-season game, the significance of an already emotional contest will change.

"I would not be surprised if we meet one more time this year," said Judge head coach Jeremy Chatterton. "It is really sad. I'm going to miss competing against Parker. What a player."

Parker led the Wasps in what looked like a mirror image of the first meeting between these two teams last month. Tuesday night the Bulldogs jumped out to an 11-0 lead in the first quarter before Wasatch stormed back and took a 28-20 lead into halftime. While Erica Martinez led the way for Judge, and finished with a game-high 22 points, it was senior Kimberlee Carlile and Katrina Baird who pulled the Wasps back into the game with lights-out 3-point shooting.

"We just slowed down and focused more," said Carlile of the come-back. "After we hit a couple, then we started to get it going. We just had to be smarter with the ball. It feels great."

Both coaches had a bout of deja vu in the final minutes of the game when Judge went up by three points behind Martinez and senior Tina Fakahafua's leadership with just a minute to go. After a time out, Parker hit a 3-point shot with 40 seconds left. The Bulldogs passed the ball until there was 15 seconds left on the clock and Chatterton called a time-out — which is exactly what happened when Judge beat Wasatch in Heber City.

But instead of hitting a 3-point shot, the Bulldogs were tagged with an offensive foul and neither team scored.

"It's exactly what happened," said Wasatch coach Roger Pyper. "I said to the girls, 'Are you going to let them have an open three again?' And they all said, 'No, coach, no way.' It worked out good for us today."

Pyper said the two teams are so evenly matched that a series might be needed to determine which team is really better.