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Spanish Fork • When there is light, there will always be shadows. Which is why Maple Mountain junior Liz Eaton is determined to escape the shade and illuminate her own legacy.

Eaton decided to enroll at Maple Mountain, a newly constructed high school that opened its doors three years prior, as a freshman rather than attend basketball powerhouse Springville. The Red Devils had appeared in four consecutive state championships at the time, winning two of them behind the athletic dominance of her older sister Lexi.

"For Springville, I would have to wait a year and sit out, or play junior high basketball. I didn't really like that option," Liz Eaton reasoned.

Playing for another program also allowed her the freedom to establish independence from her sister's accolades.

"The opening of Maple Mountain, I think, opens the road to have her own legacy, because she is playing for a different school," said Golden Eagles coach Cory Green.

Lexi Eaton is considered one of the most prolific girls' basketball players in state history. She was honored as a two-time Salt Lake Tribune 4A MVP as the state's leading scorer in 2010-11. Additionally, she twice was named The Tribune's Female Athlete of the Year (2010-11) while excelling in soccer and track, and was voted a Parade All-American in 2011 before signing with BYU as the state's all-time leading scorer with 1,697 career points.

"As a coach, and I'm sure her parents probably feel this way too, you want [Liz] to have her own identity. It would be very difficult to live up to that expectation, and I think that's a lot of pressure," Green said. "As a coach, I've tried really hard to deflect things away from that. I would much rather see her known as Liz Eaton: The great player that played for Maple Mountain, versus Liz Eaton: The sister of the great player that played at Springville."

The pressure of comparison hasn't deterred the younger Eaton. After playing scarcely her freshman season, Liz exploded onto the scene as a sophomore, averaging 20.4 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 2.3 steals per game. She reached double-digit scoring in every game, and eclipsed the 20-point plateau in 13 contests.

"I kind of look at it as an advantage because she has a lot of experience," Liz said of her sister. "She's been helping me this summer. We go shoot together. I'm a completely different player, but she has helped me with a lot of aspects of my game."

Liz noted part of the instruction Lexi offers has been mental preparation, knowing she'll be the emphasis in opposing teams' defensive strategy for the next two seasons.

"In the offseason, she was spending three or four hours a day working," Green explained. "The amount of time and energy she's putting into basketball is tremendous, and you're not going to do that if you don't have a strong sense of commitment to getting better."

The Golden Eagles finished 11-10 overall and third in Region 8 before losing a tournament play-in game against Wasatch last season. There were glimpses of potential, including a stretch where they won 7 of 8 games. However, 4.5 miles along US-89, Springville has added two more championship banners to its rafters and is a perfect 4-0 against Liz Eaton and Maple Mountain.

"I think it's really using our strengths and trying to play our own style of game," Liz said when asked what it will take to match Springville's success.

Individually, the junior is positioned to lead Maple Mountain in scoring for three straight years — one more than Lexi managed at Springville. But as Liz explained, she's focused on her own career.

This is her story.

"I've kind of got more of a mid-range. I get a lot more rebounds. I've actually played against her and beaten her, too," Liz giggled. "There was a lot of trash talking; she didn't like it at all. I never let her forget it." —

What to watch this season

Class 5A • Shelbee Molen highlights a Fremont team looking to defend its state championship. Expect Melanie Graves to fill the vacancy left by Amanda Wayment this season for the Silver Wolves. Alta and Brighton both return key components after advancing to the semifinals last season.

Class 4A • Led by Hillary Weixler, Skyline is back in contention after falling by two points in the championship last year. Timpview's Lacy and Lyndie Haddock both score in bunches, which could help the Thunderbirds reclaim their Region 8 title. However, until proved otherwise, the road to the championship still goes through Lydia Austin and Springville.

Class 3A •Desert Hills lost its two leading scorers, but Kenzie Done and Ashley Beckstrand are enough reason to believe in the Thunder's chances to repeat. Alli Tonks, Brooklyn Hurlbut and Kate Blazzard head last season's runner-up, Morgan.

Class 2A • Ashlynn Allred and Bailey Rasmussen lead a motivated Emery team, which surprisingly fell in the quarterfinals after dominating the regular season.

Class 1A • Barring complete chaos, Panguitch is the massive favorite to repeat with Chesney Campbell, Darri Frandsen, Whittni Orton and Taylor Bennett all returning from a team that finished 25-0 last season.