3A girls high school basketball: Wasps edge Spartans to grasp another crown

WEST VALLEY CITY — As the Wasatch Wasps posed for pictures shortly after they claimed their second straight 3A championship, star guard Kimberly Parker nearly dropped her team's new gold trophy.

But Parker's hands were quick enough to save the trophy — just as she saved the day for Wasps.

Parker scored 13 points, and had an overall stellar effort to lead Wasatch to a heart-stopping 32-31 win over Emery in the 3A championship game on Saturday evening. The win capped off an amazing stretch for the Wasps, who had a 48-2 record the last two years and were making their fourth consecutive final four appearance.

The Wasps trailed in the game's first 27 minutes. They couldn't make shots from 3-point range, from the paint, or from the perimeter. But one advantage they had over the Spartans, which they held over every other team they faced this season, was the presence of Parker.

So although Wasatch was uncharacteristically cold from the field, and fell behind Emery by eight points in the first half, it kept plugging away against Emery because it figured the game wasn't over with Parker running the show.

"When you have a player like Kim Parker you're never out of a game because there's nobody in the state that can do the things she can do," said Wasatch coach Roger Pyper.

Parker converted a three-point play with 4:46 left to give the Wasps their first lead of the game. They were the final points Wasatch would score, and they held up thanks to yet another stifling defensive effort by the Wasps.

Parker only made three field goals in the game, but she stayed aggressive and drew fouls while her outside shot was off. One of the game's most important factors was that she simply kept her head when things weren't going her way.

"I've had games like this before and I've learned to not dwell on missed shots," Parker said. "I just try to play forward, even when the crowd is yelling 'airball' at me or whatever."

Although her shot was off, Parker was the difference on both ends of the floor. She became Wasatch's primary ball-handler in the fourth quarter to help preserve the win. She also keyed the team's defensive effort by guarding Emery post player Abbie Kay in the second half, limiting her to just five of her 18 points.

"You only get kids like her once in a lifetime," Pyper said of Parker, the 3A Tournament MVP. "If we're going to lose, we're going to lose with the ball in her hands in the fourth quarter. It paid off for us."