St. George • Altamont girls’ basketball coach Whitney Wilkerson knew her team had potential to deliver a breakout game.
The young Longhorns came through with an impressive victory in the opening round of the Class 2A state tournament Friday.
Sophomore Gracey Gardner scored 16 points and freshman Emrey Maxfield added 14 as Altamont used a big run late in the first half to rout Rowland Hall 54-36 at Desert Hills High. It was the Longhorns’ seventh win of the season (7-12) to advance to a state quarterfinal matchup against Beaver at the Sevier Valley Center in Richfield on Thursday.
“We finally played like we’ve been trying to get them to play all year,” Wilkerson said. “We played with confidence, shot the ball well and attacked the basket.”
Gardner and Maxfield were the biggest keys to success for Altamont, which entered as the No. 4 seed from Region 16. The duo had four points apiece in a 13-0 second-quarter run that turned a two-point deficit — the only time the Longhorns trailed — into a 31-20 halftime lead.
From there, Altamont kept the lead in double figures throughout the second half and eliminated the Winged Lions, which were the No. 2 seed from Region 17.
“We just decided to go out there and have fun with it, no matter the outcome,” Gardner said. “We were pretty confident and excited that we were doing so well.”
Gardner closed out the win by scoring the final four points for the Longhorns, which started three sophomores, a freshman and a senior, on two free throws and a jumper.
“I’m just really proud of the girls. They played like I knew they could play all year,” Wilkerson said. “It makes me very happy to come down here in a high-pressure game and see them play like that.”
Sophia Stinnett led Rowland Hall with 11 points.
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