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Taylorsville • Good things happen when Mariah Martin finds the ball in her hands.

Really good things happen when Martin can feed Deserae Falatea.

Alta downed Bountiful 85-52 in the first round of the Class 4A girls' basketball state championship thanks to 22 points from Martin and Falatea's ability to finish at the rim.

"Our first six players have really good chemistry, and Deserae did a really good job of running the floor tonight," Martin said. "We had to come out to working hard and playing fast."

Martin shredded the Braves defense with laser-like passes to Falatea. The one-two punch didn't let up until the Hawks had secured a spot in the state quarterfinals.

Eight players scored for the Hawks, and four of them reached double figures.

"We move the ball around a lot," Martin said. "It's never a two-man team. We're good enough for all six of us to score."

Martin's younger sister, Kemery, played beyond her years. The sophomore not only pestered the Braves at the rim, she delivered the dagger by hitting two 3-pointers in the fourth quarter.

"We miss her when the monster isn't on," Alta coach Elizabeth Gustafson said about the younger Martin sister. "We encourage her to get that ball in the hole, and we work to create the opportunity for her to score. There's no reason to hold her back."

If there was a fault in the Hawks' game, it was a failure to box out. It was so important for the Hawks that it was written on the players' wrists in marker. Bountiful crashed the boards and picked up multiple offensive rebounds. Luckily for the Hawks, the Braves weren't able to capitalize.

"We look so good during practice but not so good during the game," Gustafson said. "We have to get those rebounds. We can't allow second chances by not boxing out."

Alta will face Skyline in Thursday's quarterfinal.

—

Alta 85, Bountiful 52

• Mariah Martin leads all scorers with 22 points in the win.

• Alta's Kemery Martin, Mariah's younger sister, puts the game out of reach with two big 3-pointers in the fourth quarter.

• Bountiful's Mary Larson leads the Braves with 19 points.