Senior guard McKenley Hellstern scores 10 points in fourth quarter.

By Jon Clifford

| Special to The Tribune

Taylorsville • McKenley Hellstern was repeatedly misidentified by the public address announcer Tuesday, but she made a name for herself with her play down the stretch.

The Sky View senior guard scored 10 of her 16 points in the fourth quarter and provided the third and final momentum swing as the Bobcats defeated Salem Hills 64-60 in the first round of the Class 4A state tournament at Salt Lake Community College.

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At a glance

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Schedule

Thursday

At Salt Lake Community College

Quarterfinals

2:30 p.m. » Timpview vs. Orem

4 p.m. » Sky View vs. Bountiful

5:30 p.m. » Bonneville vs. Hillcrest

7 p.m. » Clearfield vs. Springville

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"I was feeling it," said Hellstern, who averaged six points during the regular season. "I thought, well, my whole other team was being pressured and I should help them out a little and take some shots. Luckily, they fell for me."

Sky View (18-4) advanced to meet Bountiful in Thursday’s quarterfinals.

The game featured massive momentum swings and each team led by double figures over the first three quarters.

Salem Hills (12-10) jumped ahead by 12 points midway through the third quarter on the hot hand of Erica Egbert, who finished with a game-high 23 points.

The Bobcats pulled even at 44-44, then fell behind by five one minute into the fourth quarter.

"You know, it was scary," said senior forward Tara Goldman, who scored 19 points. "But we didn’t really think we were going to lose."

That’s when Hellstern, misidentified because her name is misspelled in the tournament program, began to drive to the basket. She scored on runners in the lane or drew fouls. She made 8 of 10 free throws in the final 4:31.

The teams traded the lead four times in the quarter before a 3-pointer by sophomore Lindsey Jensen gave Sky View a four-point lead it would not relinquish.

"It was an intense game, but I’m proud of my team to stick through it to the end," Hellstern said. "We put a lot of pressure on them and I thought we played great."

Salem Hills used a 25-10 run sandwiched around halftime to erase a 13-point deficit.

Egbert made four 3-pointers, but scored just one point in the fourth quarter.

Missy Belliston finished with 16 points for Salem Hills.

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