Class 5A girls’ basketball: Weber trounces Brighton

By Kyle Goon

| The Salt Lake Tribune

First Published Feb 21 2012 11:24 pm • Last Updated Feb 21 2012 11:25 pm

Taylorsville • The Weber girls’ basketball team found itself in a similar situation as last season: a No. 3 seed and a late first-round game in the Class 5A state tournament.

But Tuesday night, the Warriors found themselves with a different result than last year — a lopsided upset.

Weber pounded Brighton in a 47-31 win, smothering them in the first half and using long-range shooting to keep the Bengals from catching them. Guards Erin Reichle and Erica Olpin combined for six 3-pointers and 24 points as the Warriors earned a quarterfinals berth with Bingham on Thursday.

"Our guard play was really the difference in this game," coach Rick Stoeckl said. "They did a terrific job rebounding, shooting and pushed the ball up the floor. That’s been our strength all year."

The Warriors didn’t burst out from the start, but inched away as Brighton struggled offensively. Ashley Cruz scored the Bengals’ only field goals in the first half as Weber gained a 22-8 halftime advantage.

Brighton edged back in the third quarter and trimmed the deficit as close as seven points by the fourth. But the Warriors charged back with a 14-7 run to close the game. Olpin nailed two of her 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to help put the Bengals to bed.

It was a relief to the team after losing a late heartbreaker to eventual champ Alta in last season’s first round.

"We kind of think of this as just survival," Stoeckl said. "You’re just trying to get through the first game. We did that, but we have a lot to work on before we face Bingham."

kgoon@sltrib.com

Twitter: @kylegoon

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