High school girls basketball: Cedar shoots its way past Bear River and into the 3A semifinals

OGDEN — Cedar coach Jon Elison figured his team would be nervous for Thursday’s 3A girls basketball quarterfinal at the Dee Events Center, but he never would’ve guessed it would manifest itself defensively.

Known for its shooting ability, Cedar shot just fine all game. It was at the defensive end where Cedar needed to shake off the rust. It eventually did, and the Region 9 co-champs took care of business down the stretch for a 51-41 victory over Bear River.

“We weren’t here last year and I think that showed a little bit. Our girls were a little shell-shocked I think. They kept it together, fought hard and shot well and that’s important this time of year,” said Elison.

With the victory, Cedar advances to Friday’s 3A semifinals and will face region foe Dixie at 12:50 p.m.

Cedar connected on 9 of 22 3-pointers in the victory, with Javlyn Weaver accounting for three of those long-range shots to finsih with 14 points. Tara Shipp led all scorers with 16 points on a pair of 3-pointers.

“Thankfully they still shot well and that’s what this team has done all year, so I’m pleased with that,” said Elison

Trailing by as many as 11 points in the third quarter, Bear River cut the deficit to six on several occasions in the fourth quarter, but Cedar had a response each time.

After the shaky start defensively, Cedar finished strong forcing Bear River in 19 turnovers.