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Taylorsville • Two lines formed a tunnel outside the Murray locker room Tuesday afternoon, and each player took their turn sprinting through it and into the room where this group of Spartans celebrated their first-ever playoff win. First-round exits have been all-too-familiar for Murray's girls' basketball program, as the Spartans were bounced from the Class 4A tournament in consecutive seasons.
But they made certain Tuesday wouldn't be the last game of the season. Behind three players in double digits and overcoming a third-quarter collapse, the Spartans defeated Clearfield 49-46 at Salt Lake Community College to earn a spot in the 4A quarterfinals against undefeated Sky View on Thursday.
Junior guard Deja Frenchwood and senior center Mickaela Rueckert each had 12 points while junior forward Shay Potter had 10 points in Murray's first-round victory against the Falcons. After building a 28-18 lead midway through the third quarter, the Spartans struggled offensively and couldn't stop Clearfield from scoring on fast breaks. The Falcons closed the third quarter on a 14-3 run to take a 32-31 lead entering the fourth.
It was there that Murray coach Holly Gillette worried about the mental toughness of her team.
"How are we going to respond?" Gillette pondered.
The Spartans did by utilizing their lessons learned in tight games throughout the season. Junior guard Cassidy Howe put the Spartans up 42-38 when she split the Clearfield defense for an easy layup with 3:06 left. The Falcons countered and pulled within two as Sharnell Thomas drove the lane and floated in a shot off the glass to pull within 43-41.
When Potter missed a layup attempt, with a minute remaining and the Spartans up two, Frenchwood zipped in from the other side of the court and snagged the ball from under the basket. She laid it back in to put her team up four.
"She does that for us, she's the one that's aggressive and she'll get the loose ball and make a big play for us," Gillette said. "She's the kid that her teammates rally around. She gets the hustle buckets. That's what she does."
After Howe went 1 for 2 from the free-throw line, Clearfield had a shot to tie it up, trailing 46-43 with 28 seconds left. Falcon forward Lucy Evans drove the lane but ran into Rueckert who stood tall and blocked her shot attempt and secured the ball before being fouled.
"She gets a lot of swats," Frenchwood said of her teammate. "A lot of them."
Next up for the Spartans: unbeaten Sky View. The Bobcats beat them 67-53 two weeks ago.
"I want to make it a battle," Gillette said. "Stay close, and if we're in there late, we'll see what happens."
Twitter: @CKTribune —
Murray 49, Clearfield 46
• Spartans have three players in double digits in first-round victory.
• Senior center Mickaela Rueckert blocks the Falcons' attempt to tie with 14 seconds left.
• Clearfield forward Ashley Burton had 13 points in the loss.