St. George • Snow Canyon faced a must-win game in Thursday’s home showdown against first-place Pine View to stay in playoff contention with just five games left in the girls’ basketball regular season.
The Warriors, led by sophomore guard Tylei Jensen, who had a team-high 12 points, held on for a thrilling 52-46 victory. Senior center Melenaite Kata added 10 points in the win for the Warriors.
“We’ve had a lot of ups and downs and close calls this season, but I was really proud to see our girls fight back and rely on each other to get the win,” Snow Canyon coach Ryan Rarick said. “We’ve struggled finishing games this season, and tonight the girls put it all together to get an important win for us.”
Snow Canyon lost by double-digits to Pine View earlier in the season, so there was plenty of motivation.
“We definitely were looking for revenge tonight,” Jensen said. “We didn’t play our best against them earlier this year and wanted to show them just how good we really are.”
The Warriors jumped out to an 8-0 lead and built a 27-15 halftime lead. But the Panthers weren’t going down easy. They came out fired up, cutting their deficit to 37-31 at the end of the third quarter. The Panthers took their first lead with just over three minutes to go in the game thanks to consecutive baskets from Bailey Hofheins, Saraven Allen and Claire Newby.
Snow Canyon gets a big basket and then forces a turnover. Warriors up 45-42 with just over a minute to play. @snowcanyonhigh @TribPrepsEd @devdixon pic.twitter.com/xkJPrysAYt
— Justin Giles (@JustinGiles_) January 26, 2018
But the Warriors picked up their biggest win of the region season to keep their playoff hopes alive thanks to clutch baskets by Jensen and Kata, rebounds and free throws down the stretch.
“Give Pine View a lot of credit for storming back and putting a lot of pressure on us,” Rarick said. “They’re a great team and showed why they came in atop the region standings.”
Rarick took a timeout to challenge his team and to help swing the momentum after Pine View took the lead.
“The girls responded, and we took a big step forward tonight,” Rarick said. “Now we just have to keep it going.”
Snow Canyon stayed perfect at home in region play this season. Next up for the Warriors is a road game against Desert Hills. Pine View will look to bounce back against Dixie next week.
SNOW CANYON 52, PINE VIEW 46 <br>• Tylei Jensen scores 12 points to lead Snow Canyon. <br>• The Warriors keep their perfect record in region play at home intact. <br>• Saraven Allen leads Pine View with 13 points.