This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

There were the usual telltale signs that this was the opener for a basketball season when Alta visited Viewmont in a girls hoops contest Wednesday night.

For one thing, turnovers were plenty as the Hawks and Vikings combined for 26 of them in the first half. And plenty of whistles were being blown, with three players fouling out and five more saddles with four fouls by game's end.

And then there were the little things too.

Like when Alta anxiously raced to the court for pregame warmups — while the junior varsity game was still in progress.

But who could really blame the Hawks, a team that advanced to the state Class 5A semifinal round a year ago and returns almost all of its key components.

"The first game, I loved it. It was full of energy, I was so excited to be back," said Alta's standout sophomore guard Mariah Martin, who finished with 20 points, seven assists and seven rebounds.

Behind Martin and 19 points from senior Elsa Ferre, Alta pounced on Viewmont for a 74-56 victory.

"We were sitting over there, watching all the other games. We couldn't sit still," Martin said.

Alta (1-0) burst out to a 19-4 advantage in the first quarter as Ferre scored seven points early.

But Viewmont (0-1) wasn't without its own highlights as the Vikings reeled off nine straight points in the second period.

Senior Katie Toole, who committed to Utah State just before the season started, ended up with 29 points while talented freshman Mercedes Staples contributed eight.

But the Vikes second-quarter run didn't go unanswered.

With 4:25 left before intermission, and Alta leading 22-18, a Ferre bucket kicked off a resounding 22-4 run that essentially put the game away.

"I felt like we hustled a lot and moved the ball around," Martin said. "It was just a good game all around."

"I'm glad that (Viewmont comeback) happened, because what you want to see in these non-conference games is how they respond," Alta coach Sean Yeager said. "Especially on the road, and I thought the girls responded well."

Hawks senior Rachael McDonald added 14 points to the victors' totals.

But Yeager was quite aware of the usual shortcomings of a season opener, from which his team was not immune.

"You know, we foul a lot. We need to be a little more disciplined defensively, but it's kind of a double-edged sword because we like to play aggressively and force turnovers," the Alta coach said.