This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Bountiful's unbeaten girls basketball team had every reason to fold Friday night when it fell behind by five points midway through the fourth quarter at Highland.
The Braves were missing star senior center Kennedy Redding, who was injured earlier in the week. The tall and talented Rams were having their way inside in Redding's absence and seemed poised for an upset.
But Bountiful held Highland to three free throws in the last four minutes of the game and forced six turnovers to come away with a difficult 42-39 victory.
"We had the belief in our kids that we could get it done, but we knew it would be a fight coming into Highland," said Braves coach Joel Burton. "They do a great job, and there are great kids on the Highland team."
Burton said his players dedicated the game to Redding, their star 6-foot-4 center who injured her collarbone and suffered a concussion in a game earlier in the week against Ogden.
"We decided we were going to take care of business and win this for Kennedy," he said. "We were locked into this after Tuesday. Hopefully we will have her back for the state tournament."
Jaimee Stahle, who had a game-high 18 points to lead Bountiful, got the fourth-quarter rally going after Highland rallied behind the play of senior Nani Tonga to take a 36-31 lead with 4:44 to play.
Stahle hit a floater to cut the lead to 36-33, moved the Braves to within 37-36 on a 3-pointer and then gave them the lead for good with 1:40 to play.
"It was crazy," said the sophomore guard. "The whole team stepped up in the fourth quarter with our defense and our rebounding. We were really aggressive. Everyone was playing their role. ... It was nerve wracking at the beginning, but everybody stepped up. This game goes out to Kennedy."
Highland had every chance to win it but got tight in the final two minutes, turning the ball over five times in key situations. Bountiful, too, suffered some turnovers but got a big basket from Lovely Tukuafu off a steal with 38.5 seconds left.
The Rams dominated the game inside but missed six free throws and suffered some key turnovers. Highland led by as many as six in the first half and by five in the fourth quarter but simply couldn't put Bountiful away.
Thus, the Braves remained one of just three unbeaten girls teams in Utah and will retain their top ranking.
Twitter @tribtomwharton