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Taylorsville • Fremont was 7.6 seconds away from advancing to the Class 5A state championship. In a season played between every opponent's aiming crosshairs as the defending champions, it seemed like an eternity.

American Fork, which lost in the final game to the Silver Wolves last season, had crawled back from 11 down with an opportunity to avenge its heartbreak. The Cavemen inbounded the ball to star Jenna Shepherd.

Do not foul. That was the message. That was the law set forth by Fremont coach Lisa Dalebout. But the Wolves didn't lose their aggression, pressuring Shepherd into penetrating later than planned before her desperation runner slipped from the rim to preserve the 38-37 victory for the champs.

"We didn't know what they were going to do, if they were going to run a series of screens," Dalebout said at Salt Lake Community College on Friday. "I think what helped us out is initially they didn't have a clean exchange off the inbounds."

Dalebout attributed the win to defense, which has been Fremont's credo this season, unlike last year when it was "much more offensively gifted," she said. The Wolves (20-5) held the Cavemen (20-6) to shooting 30 percent (12 for 40) from the field, while limiting them to 2 of 11 from 3-point range.

Paige Farnsworth, who scored a game-high 15 points, drilled both treys in the second quarter after missing her first three attempts. She swished the first from straightaway with 1:49 remaining in the first half to pull American Fork to within 12-11 before hitting the second to furnish a 15-12 halftime advantage.

Shelbee Molen, who struggled mightily in the first two games, ignited the second-half charge alongside Harley Hansen. With less than a minute in the third, Hansen buried the lone 3 for the Wolves before Molen acrobatically kissed a layup off the glass to begin an 11-0 run.

Molen registered a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds, while Hansen netted a co-team-high 11 points, shared by Rylee Thompson.

"I knew I had to keep fighting. I haven't shot very well. It helped to get things going," Molen said of her four straight points created from aggressively traveling coast-to-coast.

But with 4:42 left in regulation, Fremont errantly threw away an inbounds pass, leading to Farnsworth finishing a three-point play for American Fork after converting with contact, before her two freebies cut the deficit to 34-32.

"We knew we had to stay calm," said Hansen on AF's 9-0 response.

Added Dalebout: "We made some really bad mistakes at the end of the game, really uncharacteristically. I thought the girls did a really good job of responding, and not making another mistake on top of it.

Fremont will play Brighton on Saturday at 1 p.m.

Twitter: @trevorphibbs —

Fremont 38, American Fork 37

R Fremont limits American Fork to shooting 30 percent from the field.

• Shelbee Molen, Harley Hansen and Rylee Thompson score 32 of the Wolves' 38 points.

• Fremont beats American Fork for the second straight year in the postseason, and will have an opportunity to defend its crown. —

Class 5A girls' championship

P Fremont vs. Brighton

At SLCC (Taylorsville)

Tipoff • Saturday, 1 p.m.