Taylorsville » Two years ago, the Springville girls' basketball team advanced to the Class 4A state semifinals before bowing out of the playoffs.

Last season, with title aspirations, the Red Devils reached the championship game, only to fall short against Mountain View.

On Saturday afternoon, Springville proved that sometimes winning it all can be a process. The Red Devils took that final step at Salt Lake Community College, defeating a game Timpanogos team 42-36, and completing an unbeaten year that culminated with a 23rd consecutive victory.

"I feel like I can finally breathe," said Springville coach Nancy Warner.

Especially for the way the Red Devils were able to attain the championship. Before the tournament began, Springville had posted nine consecutive double-digit wins, with eight of those coming by at least 20 points.

But if the Red Devils were convinced that walking though the tournament would be a breeze, they were quickly proven wrong, needing a Lexi Eaton buzzer-beater to post a 56-55 win over Snow Canyon in Friday's semifinal.

Perhaps that's why Springville didn't panic Saturday when the Timberwolves came out and took a 20-10 lead midway through the second quarter. Instead of forcing shots, they switched to a ball-hawking, man-to-man defense, started forcing turnovers and denied entry passes to Timpanogos center Morgan Bailey.

"We just thought that we didn't have that empty feeling that we had last year and the year before," Eaton said. "We realized that we weren't going to win the game unless we played well defensively."

The switch in defenses led to a 12-0 run to end the first half, and with a 22-20 lead going into the third quarter, the Red Devils never trailed again. Eaton did much of the damage for the rest of the game en route to a game-high 25 points.

Eaton, a junior who's committed to Brigham Young University, had her worst shooting day of the week at 5-25 from the field. But her persistence in getting to the basket off the dribble led to 16 free throw attempts and 14 makes from the foul line. She also grabbed 10 rebounds and three steals as she completed a three day run in which she left no doubt as to who the tournament's best player was.

"I've said it before, and I'll say it again," Warner said. "I'm glad she's on my team."

Bailey, who played well in her previous two games, struggled Saturday. She posted her third consecutive double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. But she went 5-16 from the field in doing so.

Timpanogos pulled to within 38-36 in the final minute when Alexa Anderson hit a three-pointer. But Eaton was able to hit her foul shots to put the game away.

tjones@sltrib.com