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Herriman • Few high school programs are equipped with the resources to survive the loss of three starting guards to torn ACLs in a short time frame paired with an off night from the top scorer, on the road, in a critical region game.
Riverton is.
Morgan Kane dropped a season-high 28 points, including 22 in the second half, to pick up the slack for Tiena Afu, who managed only 6 points, to lead the Silverwolves past Herriman, 53-37, to avoid starting 0-2 in Region 4 action.
"She's been our best player the last several games," said Riverton coach Ron Ence of Kane. "She's got great coordination and skills for a young post."
Only a sophomore, Kane showcased her complete arsenal in the second half. She beat one defender with a one-handed crossover in transition. She feathered a perfect dump down pass from the high-post to Afu for two. She rebounded more aggressively, capitalizing on several second-chance opportunities, and she converted at the free-throw line — even knocking down two at the charity stripe after Herriman was whistled for a technical foul.
"I started to rebound more. I raised my intensity level and my aggressiveness," Kane said of her second-half adjustments. "Rebounds win games. Going for those rebounds, I was able to put up those extra shots that other people were missing."
Macy Marcus, who finished with a team-high 21 points, accounted for the Mustangs' first seven points until Amanda Mitchell's corner 3-pointer midway through the second period. Marcus' and-one layup in transition then chipped Riverton's advantage down to 14-13 with 3:31 remaining in the second quarter. The Silverwolves led at halftime, 16-13.
After Herriman closed the deficit to one again in the third quarter, Riverton embarked on a 15-0 run, fueled by 8 points from Kane, to break the game open.
"I don't know if we did too much different," Ence said of the third-quarter spurt. "We played a little bit of zone, and we were fortunate that they missed some long ones."
The 'Wolves, who are ranked third in Class 5A, are winning without three starting guards: Jaydeen Burgess, Maci McClearly and Olivia Neilson, who all suffered season-ending knee injuries over the past several weeks. For a program with championship aspirations, it's plug and play from here on out.
"I'm just thrilled, seriously," Ence said. "We're going to have to take some chances. We're going to take some lumps playing some new kids. If they can give good effort like that — that would be great."
Twitter: @trevorphibbs Storylines
• Morgan Kane scores a season-high 28 points to lead Riverton past Herriman on the road.
• The Silverwolves embark on a 15-0 run in the third quarter to break the game open.
• Macy Marcus scored 21 points for the Mustangs.