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Richfield • The results were slow to reveal. After undergoing extensive change in coaching philosophy with first-year coach Bret Albrecht in the preseason, the Manti girls' basketball team tiptoed from the gates, and dropped their first seven games.

They finally broke through with a victory against Canyon View at the Sevier Valley Center in late-December.

"I remember telling my wife, 'We got to win one so we can believe we can win,'" Albrecht said. "And right here on this floor, we got our first win. I told them, 'Make it your last win, too.'"

After surviving 26 turnovers and a furious second-half rally from Millard, Manti is two games from making that challenge a reality with a 64-57 win in the Class 2A girls' basketball quarterfinals on Thursday.

"In a way we thought our season was over, and it all came together," Albrecht said. "They've got heart, and I knew that. I know a lot of people didn't believe in us in the beginning, and it was rough."

Trailing by as many as 11 points, Millard climbed within two points on freshman Kynlee Penney's 3-pointer in the midst of a 10-2 run in the third quarter initiated by extended full-court pressure on defense. The Eagles forced Manti (9-16) into 26 turnovers until Amanda Naylor figured out how to split the trap.

Naylor finished with a game-high 25 points and nine rebounds, while converting 8 of 10 attempts from the charity stripe.

"She's been a basketball guru since she was a little kid," Albrecht said of Naylor. "She has the talent, and she has the heart. She just knows where to be."

After Manti's Kaylyn Mason hit two free throws, Bailey Simons muscled up a layup for a 51-47 advantage with 3:05 to play. Then, following a Millard bucket, Naylor converted both attempts in the bonus for 55-49 cushion.

But Anna Camp promptly nailed 3-pointer on the opposite end, putting Naylor back at the stripe. She hit the first and shorted the second, but Millard was caught with a lane violation — allowing her to make good on the second for a 57-52 lead.

Twitter: @trevorphibbs —

Storylines

• Manti is the only Class 2A program with boys and girls programs still alive

• The Templars hit 22 of 26 free throws, including 13 of 15 in the second half

• Amanda Naylor finished with 25 points and nine rebounds