4A girls high school basketball: Region 7 champs from Springville rout West

TAYLORSVILLE — They'd been suffering from a minor slump over the past couple of weeks, just having a tough time finding the intensity they needed to play their game at 100 percent.

But the 4A No. 3 Springville Red Devils found everything they needed in the first round of the 4A state basketball tournament and showed West they really did deserve all the credit they'd been getting all season and the Region 7 title with a 57-34 victory.

The slump was officially declared non-news after an 18-2 start against the Panthers in the first quarter, and it all started on the defensive end..

"In state our team thinks of stepping it up. I was happy with the lead, and it all starts with our defense. I thought our defense started well," said Springville sophomore Lexi Eaton.

And Springville coach Nancy Warner couldn't have been happier with the first quarter intensity and execution.

"They were just excited to be here, excited to play. I think they set the tone defensively, and that got us started offensively," said Warner, who noted that she was happy with the teamwork the girls presented.

And the first quarter extended into the second quarter as Springville took a 32-11 lead into the locker room at halftime.

But then a little bit of complacency seemed to settle into the Red Devils as they allowed West to use tough play and plenty of spirit and bring themselves back into the ball game in the third. With only a 34-22 lead at one point, Warner was getting concerned that her team was going to give up all they'd worked so hard for in the first half.

"Our intensity dropped obviously, especially on the defensive end. And I know that because the intensity dropped they weren't communicating," she said, adding that she took a time out at that point to talk to the team about the dangers of allowing the other team to get so close.

The Red Devils took the conversation to heart, picking up the intensity once again on both ends of the court and building their lead back to 25 points at several times in the fourth quarter.

"This team just played with so much heart out there. They played aggressively, and none of them would be able to do anything without the others," said Warner, who also enjoyed some solid passing by her players, especially on the fast break.

But it wasn't just defense and offense that saw the Red Devils ride a wave of intensity, another huge key to the win was the incessant crush Springville had on the glass. The Red Devils grabbed 45 rebounds to West's 24, including 20 on the offensive boards, giving themselves plenty of extra chances at the score.

Eaton led the team with nine rebounds in addition to her 21 points on 8-12 shooting, five assists and three steals. Ashley Kroneberger added 10 points to the effort, and five other players scored four points or more in the Red Devils' balanced game.

Valencia Manu recorded 11 points to lead West, including a trio of treys.. Amy Christensen added with points, and Ashley Quarles finished with six points on a pair of 3-pointers.

E-MAIL: jolsen@desnews.com