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Taylorsville • Once each of his players and assistants had sliced off a piece of twine, Kimber Hall was summoned to finish the job. Sky View's coach approached the lowered hoop and cut seven pieces of his team's championship net, cementing their perfect season and the best in the history of Bobcats girls' basketball. He hoisted it in the air for one final hurrah and then placed the net over the head of his relentless star, Lindsey Jensen, before Sky View posed for photos as Class 4A champions.
"I've never had a team like this," Hall said. "They just didn't think that they could lose, and that's why this is so fantastic."
There's a good chance he may not again.
The Bobcats beat Skyline, 43-32, in Saturday's 4A state championship game behind staples that carried them throughout an unblemished season and to the final resting stop of achieving a 25-0 record. Sky View pestered Skyline defensively, intercepting passes and closing down the already air-tight space in its proprietary zone defense. And when the Eagles themselves locked in on the defensive end, it was Jensen who was there to carry Bobcats. The senior star bound for Utah State finished with a game-high 23 points on 7-of-11 shooting, including 4 of 6 from the 3-point line.
The title game, as anticipated, was a matchup of two rugged programs devoted to stopping the opposition in its tracks. Sky View's defense, as it had all year, proved to be the difference. The Bobcats forced 17 first-half turnovers by Skyline, but weren't able to capitalize on extending a lead.
"I thought we should have been ahead by 20 points in the first half, but we couldn't turn the dang turnovers into points," Hall said.
Skyline hung around despite scoring bursts by Jensen and Co. The Eagles pulled to within six early in the fourth quarter when senior guard Kyla Paulus drilled a 3-pointer to close the gap to 28-22. Jensen responded with free throws, a floater in the lane and a wide-open 3.
"I just knew we had to go offensive," she said. "It didn't matter if it was me or my team; we just got to get going."
Sophomore center Hunter Krebs knocked down four free throws down the stretch with the Eagles focused on stopping Jensen. But it was Sky View's suffocating defense that kept Skyline from pulling back within striking distance. Hall woke up at 3:30 Saturday morning, worried how he'd stop the Eagles' post trio of Hillary and Sara Weixler and Laurel Tomlinson. The Bobcats held the trio to nine combined points.
Sky View celebrated its second state title on the floor at Salt Lake Community College, engulfed by its student section. The Bobcats eventually broke off into a giant circle and crooned the school song, commemorating 25 wins and zero losses.
Twitter: @CKTribune —
Sky View 43, Skyline 32
R Bobcats star Lindsey Jensen finishes with a game-high 23 points in the 4A title win.
• Sky View finishes the 2014-15 season at 25-0.
• Skyline falls in a second straight 4A title game after losing to Springville in 2014. 2015 • Sky View
2014 • Springville
2013 • Springville
2012 • Timpanogos
2011 • Springville —
4A All-Tournament Team
MVP
• Lindsey Jensen, Sky View
Team
• Olivia Elliss, Skyline
• Liz Eaton, Maple Mountain
• Paulani Tarawa, Mountain View
• Hillary Weixler, Skyline
• Hunter Krebs, Sky View
As voted upon by members of The Salt Lake Tribune and Deseret News