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Taylorsville • Jodi Lee inherited a group of players fresh off a 5-17 campaign when she took over as Taylorsville girls' basketball coach three years ago.
Taylorsville has been predominately average or below over the program's history, with a few seasons of success scattered intermittently.
So Lee wasn't worried about perception or instant gratification when she accepted the position. She was concerned with one thing: Effort.
"I tell them all the time, 'I can't control if you make all your shots. You can't control if you make all your shots. But what you can control is your effort,' " Lee said. "As long as that's there, then we're growing and we're getting better."
The philosophy led to playoff appearances in 2014 and 2015, and the Warriors started 10-2 this season to earn a spot in the Class 5A power rankings as arguably the state's surprise team this season.
That effort was on display Tuesday in a critical Region 3 showdown with Copper Hills, another top-five team.
Taylorsville center Finau Tonga was a perfect example when she grabbed four offensive rebounds to start the game.
"That's my mentality — to get every ball," she said.
Tonga, who averages a double-double, said the team's rebounding is improving because of the mental effort.
The Warriors were diving for loose balls and pursuing every second-chance opportunity against Copper Hills.
"I think effort is huge in any sport," said Taylorsville leading scorer Morgan Toluono. "You can push yourself through a hard game or a difficult time. It's a key thing. Mental can either break you or make you."
Copper Hills eventually pulled away to hand the Warriors (10-4) their second consecutive defeat, compounding the letdown loss against Jordan last week. So after starting 10-2, the Warriors sit in third place in Region 3 behind Copper Hills and Bingham.
Now it's about building consistency.
"We've beaten a couple good teams, we've played some good teams close like we did," Copper Hills, Lee said. "A couple losses on the season I feel like we shouldn't have, but that's growing and that's learning and we have to become the program that can get through those games and win all the games you should be winning. We're working on it."
Lee saw signs of progress Tuesday, like her team not backing down against a powerhouse program and embracing her attitude that "If somebody is going to beat us, it's going to be a bloodbath."
So although the Warriors fell short, they're putting in the effort Lee has preached about.
Twitter: @trevorphibbs —
Taylorsville Warriors
Coach • Jodi Lee
Record • 10-4
Average points per game • 42.8
Leading scorer • Morgan Toluono, 13.4
Leading rebounder • Finau Tonga, 11.9