CEDAR CITY — The Ridgeline girls basketball team lost the state 4A championship game to a tough Cedar High team, which capped off its unbeaten 25-0 season with a 53-40 win over the RiverHawks Saturday night.
Ridgeline managed to stay even with the Lady Reds throughout the low-scoring first half, which ended with Cedar leading 15-14. But Cedar began to pull away during the third, outscoring Ridgeline 16-10 during that period.
“I think we played great defense on their players and ultimately going into the half a one-point game, and really low scoring, was pretty different for both of us,” said Ridgeline head coach Ainsli Jenks, who added, “And then, you know, in the second half we missed a few shots, some easy buckets. They made some great plays to start the half and we just never really could get out of that funk.”
Jenks said she was proud of her team’s successful season, which ended with a Region 12 title and an overall record of 22-4 in the school’s third year of existence.
“I’m extremely proud of my girls,” Jenks said. “Cedar’s well-coached and is a great young team. I also think my girls are a great young team, and it was a fun championship.”
Leading the RiverHawks in scoring was Halle Livingston, who made 18 points. Haley Anderson added 14, including four 3-pointers.
Cedar was led by Mayci Torgerson’s 18 points, while fellow junior Japrix Weaver added 11.
Both Ridgeline and Cedar have mostly underclassmen on their squads, with just two seniors listed on each roster. Both teams are likely favored to be strong contenders again next year.
Jeff Richards is a reporter for stgeorgenews.com. Email him at [email protected]