New game plan works well against familiar foe

For three years, Wasatch point guard Liz Turner had the luxury of looking into the paint and seeing a player she knew almost as well as she knows herself.

"We'd played together for so long we had a court sense for each other," said Turner of last year's 3A MVP Shalee Fackrell, after leading her team to a 49-40 win over region rival Judge Memorial. "We could throw the ball to each other without really even looking."

Losing Fackrell, who graduated last year and is now playing at Southern Utah University, has changed not just Turner's game but the entire Wasp strategy.

"Last year we were a totally offensive team," she said. "Shalee was averaging 23 points a game; we just outscored people. This year we have to concentrate more on defense. We try to hold teams to 45 points and hope we can beat them with that."

Thursday night in Salt Lake they held a scrappy Judge team to 40, and it was just enough to give the fifth-ranked Wasps a victory, which keeps them perfect in region play. The win didn't come without a first-quarter scare, a lot of emotion, which has become standard in meetings between these two teams, and a little controversy.

The Bulldogs started off strong, jumping out to a 12-9 lead at the end of the first quarter. But Wasatch came back with great outside shooting by Turner, Erin Niederhauser and Kelsi Remund. The Wasps also turned up the defensive effort and forced the Bulldogs to miss shots and turn the ball over. The game got a little wild at times with both teams favoring a fast-paced running game.

"We practice with a lot of confusion to try and make games like this not so intimidating," said Wasatch coach Roger Pyper. "We wanted to run. They have five excellent players, but not a lot of depth. . . . So that was kind of our strategy."

Judge also had to travel to Union on Tuesday while the Wasps stayed in Heber City for their last game. Pyper was happy with his team's composure in the physical contest, but was immensely displeased with the officiating. He was tagged for a technical foul in the game's final minute when he became angry at Turner for throwing an elbow. Apparently, the referee thought Turner's gestures were directed at him and awarded Judge two technical shots.

"I thought it was pathetic," he said afterward. "They were looking for things that weren't there and not watching the things they should. "

Turner walked over after her coach was called for the technical and talked to him. She said she was baffled by some of the calls, but more mystified that the referees refused to talk with her about their decisions.