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Taylorsville • The Highland girls' basketball program has been deprived of a rich history of postseason success, with a notorious reputation for bowing out in the first round.

So when the Rams found themselves on the wrong end of an Olympus run late in the fourth quarter, an apprehensive feeling circulated among the Highland cheering section, which anxiously encouraged a stronger finish.

Highland coach Kurt Schneider huddled his troops after losing the lead, and delivered the message: Keep your composure. It resonated on the defensive end, as the Rams finished the fourth on a 10-0 spurt to advance to the Class 4A quarterfinals, with a 57-52 win against Olympus at Salt Lake Community College on Monday.

"It means a lot because in the past Highland has never been able to pass the first round," said Highland's Fifita Tonga, who finished with 10 points. "It gives our team a lot of motivation moving forward."

Highland (18-4), the second seed from Region 5, opened the first quarter on a 7-0 rally, but spent the majority of regulation fending off a never-ceasing push from the Titans (15-7), the third-seed from Region 7.

Olympus' Miranda Johnson intercepted a telegraphed pass at midcourt and raced to a layup with contact, converting the three-point play to even the score at 42-42, with 5:51 left in regulation.

From there it was a teeter-totter of runs until Johnson's layup on a three-on-one fastbreak capped the Titans' 7-0 run for a 52-47 advantage.

"Keep your composure," Schneider said when asked what the message was after Olympus recaptured the lead.

Highland created chaos with its defense, forcing several turnovers to initiate the 10-0 run in the final minutes. After Lana Olevao put the Rams up 56-52, Olympus tried to find Johnson in the corner with 17 seconds left, but Highland converged and trapped her into committing a miscue to strip the Titans' of any hope.

"It shows how they dug deep," Schhneider said. "We have to fight, and that's what they did. Defensively we kind of found our niche there. The character and everything they brought was huge."

tphibbs@sltrib.com

Twitter: @trevorphibbs —

Storylines

• Highland closes fourth quarter on 10-0 to advance to the quarterfinals.

• The Rams will face the winner of Alta-Spanish Fork in the Class 4A quarterfinals.