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Draper • One team with a perfect 21-0 mark, a top seed and home court advantage. The other an underdog fourth seed with only seven wins on the season.

So no problem, right?

As it turned out: Yes, no problem.

But given the recent troubles the Juan Diego girls' basketball team has had in the first round of the state tournament, nothing was necessarily a given in Friday night's Class 3A opening round playoff contest.

This time, however, the Soaring Eagle took to the expected flight pattern and walloped Grantsville 61-26.

Juan Diego (now 22-0) was also a top seed in 2013 and fell to Dixie in its first game. Last year, the Soaring Eagle lost in the opening round to Carbon as a two seed.

In 2012, JD was its region's top seed and lost in the quarterfinals.

Instead of ignoring the past, first-year coach Josh Archuleta did the opposite in approaching this postseason.

"We embraced it," Archuleta said. "I didn't harp on it, but I wanted them to understand that the fact that they're 21-0 didn't really mean much because of the last three years."

As it turned out, outmatched Grantsville (7-16) stood little chance of repeating history, as Juan Diego shot out of the gate with a 17-2 run to start the game.

Monique Mills led the Soaring Eagle with 16 points while twin sister Domonique Mills added seven points and pulled down eight rebounds.

It wasn't all about the Mills sisters on this night, as sophomore Becca Curran scored 12 and junior Ann Nelson added 11.

Curran, however, noted that, when things get tougher, it'll be the senior twins who will be the go-to players for Juan Diego.

"I think we'll probably be looking for them, but I know the rest of us can do it as well," said Curran, who added that the team was relieved to get the first game over.

"I think we were all just a little bit nervous because we know we've had trouble, but we were all pretty confident about our game," she said.

Grantsville was led by Abby Butler's 11 points.

"They're very young. Their two best players are a sophomore and a junior," Archuleta said of the opponent that would not — at least on this night — pull the upset on the Soaring Eagle.

After the game, the Juan Diego coach also noted that none of the championship banners in the young school's successful early history were of the girls' basketball variety.

"We're trying to do something that's different here," Archuleta said. —

3A girls' schedule

First round

Friday

• Bear River 56, Union 32

• Juan Diego 61, Grantsville 26

Saturday

• Desert Hills at North Sanpete, 5 p.m.

• Richfield at Cedar, 5 p.m.

• Tooele at Morgan, 5 p.m.

• Snow Canyon at Juab, 6 p.m.

• Uintah at Stansbury, 6 p.m.

• Pine View at Carbon, 7 p.m. —

Juan Diego 61, Grantsville 26

R Juan Diego reverses a two-year trend of losing in the first-round at home.

• The Soaring Eagle have runs of 14 and 13 straight points, and lead 46-9 at one juncture of the third quarter.

• Monique Mills has 16 to lead all players in scoring, while Grantsville's Abby Butler paces the Cowboys with 11.