4A girls high school basketball: Orem shocks Murray in opening round

TAYLORSVILLE — With a record of 9-13, Orem coach Ross Reed knew the Tigers weren't going to put fear into the hearts of many of their 4A state tournament opponents.

But he also knew his team had been tested in a way not many teams in the state have.

"We felt pretty good coming in," said Reed after the fourth-seeded Tigers upset Region 6 champion Murray 50-44 in the first round of the tournament Tuesday at Salt Lake Community College's Lifetime Activity Center.

"Region 7 plays good basketball," he said. "We play tougher teams night in and night out, and I think that helped prepare us for this."

Both teams were a little cold in the first quarter, which was a combination of nerves and the early morning start. And while Orem had to play an extra game just to get a shot at playing in the tournament, they handled the pressure of the playoffs like veterans most of the time.

"Once we finally settled down, we played well," he said. "Our game is going to the basket; once we finally figured that out, we were OK."

Junior Maggie Plothow got the Tigers started and carried most of the offensive load. She finished with 19 points, seven rebounds, two assists and five steals. But she also had some help from teammates Angie Helsten and forward Lisa Love.

"I kind of jumped on (Love) at halftime, but she played a great second half," Reed said.

Love said she was a little tight in the first half, but once she sunk her first basket, her confidence began to build.

"He said I was getting good looks but I had to go hard," said the senior. "As soon as I made that basket, I felt a lot more confident. I felt fire and I just wanted to win. They're a good team and it was a fun game to play."

She said she didn't feel much like an underdog, but rather that both teams were pretty evenly matched.

The Spartans were led by Ame White, who finished with 18 points, including three 3-point shots. She also had five assists and nine rebounds.

Maria Duran added 11 points and she also had three 3-pointers. Amy Murakami earned five assists and six rebounds despite being on the bench a good portion of the game with foul trouble.

The Tigers struggled a little with Murray's full-court press, but after a couple of minutes, they broke it without any major problems. They also shot well from the foul line, going 13 of 19.

Reed said he'd rather see a new opponent in the tournament, but he is looking forward to getting a third chance to play Mountain View in the quarterfinals Wednesday at 6 p.m.

"Hopefully we'll come out tomorrow and give Mountain View all they can handle," he said. "It's the state tournament and anything can happen. We'll do the best job we can."

Love agreed with her coach.

"I want to work hard," she said. "I want to prove we can play with Mountain View."

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