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Taylorsville • Judge Memorial can look back on Monday night as just one of those things.

The bottom line for the Bulldogs girls' basketball team is that, although in nearly squandered a huge lead in the fourth period, it's off to the Class 4A state quarterfinal round after beating Box Elder 49-41.

At Salt Lake Community College, Judge Memorial (15-7) got 19 points and eight rebounds from Vanessa Austin and stifled Box Elder in the second and third quarters. The Bees scored only four points in the second and half that in the third.

As the fourth quarter started, with Austin and Emily Garcia making baskets for the Bulldogs, Box Elder (8-13) trailed 41-22.

Then the press starting taking its effect on Judge as the Bees, who were led by Kelsee Stevenson's 18 points, ripped off 19 of the next 22 points.

Still up 44-41, a string of turnovers and missed shots finally ended for Judge when Grace Nakamura connected on a pair of free throws with 42 seconds remaining. Forced to foul again, Box Elder then sent to the line Judge's Rachel Shubella — who made both with 32 seconds left for a 47-41 lead.

"We've had this happen to us (before)," said Judge Memorial coach Paul Shiramizu of a regular-season game with Olympus. "This kind of reminded me of that. We just don't take care of business, I think we just press too much and make some hasty decisions."

At the state tournament last year, Judge Memorial made things tough for eventual finalist Skyline before bowing out. Against the Bees, Miyalla Tarver grabbed eight rebounds and reserve Haley Auer recorded three steals as Judge made offensive life difficult for Box Elder.

"You could see that they weren't comfortable getting into their half-court set," Shiramizu said.

The Bees actually held a one-point lead, at 16-15, when Kambri Curtis hit a runner in the lane with a minute left in the first quarter.

But the second quarter started with 10 straight points by the Bulldogs — albeit stretched out over seven minutes. Box Elder broke the string on an Emily Isaacson bucket with a minute before intermission.

It took half of the third quarter before the Bees scored, and that bucket by Stevenson would be the only one of the stanza.

"The ones doing the damage defensively were a sophomore and a junior on the guard line," the Bulldogs coach said. "They're instinctive. They run a little bit undisciplined sometimes, but you know what? I'm a defensive-minded coach and we try to make stops and make things uncomfortable for the offense." —

Storylines

• Judge Memorial gave up a 19-point fourth quarter lead as Box Elder chopped the margin to three in the late-going.

• The Bulldogs' defense held the Bees to only four points in the second quarter and only two in the third.

• Vanessa Austin paced the victors with 19 points and eight rebounds while Box Elder's Keslee Stevenson had 18.