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Westlake rallies past Hillcrest to keep historic postseason run going

(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Hillcrest's Annabella Jensen (31) shoots over Westlake's Samantha Hester (10) as Hillcrest faces Westlake in the 6A High School Girls' Basketball Tournament at SLCC in Taylorsville, Thursday Feb. 22, 2018.

(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Hillcrest's Annabella Jensen (31) shoots over Westlake's Samantha Hester (10) as Hillcrest faces Westlake in the 6A High School Girls' Basketball Tournament at SLCC in Taylorsville, Thursday Feb. 22, 2018.

Taylorsville • Sometimes great things come from adversity.

That’s what the Westlake girls’ basketball team has discovered in what has become a history-making run for the Thunder.

The Utah County team came from behind in the second half behind the play of Marissa Scoresby and Samantha Hester to beat Hillcrest 54-47 and advance to the semifinals of the Class 6A state tournament.

After winning their first girls’ basketball state tournament game in school history Tuesday, Westlake decided it wasn’t finished in a game where it could have folded.

“All year the kids have adjusted to what has gone on at halftime, and they react,” Westlake coach and athletic director Michael O’Connor said. “They do what we ask. Our defense got better, and we adjusted to their strength and bigs.”

This was a game of runs for both teams.

Westlake started 8-0 then Hillcrest went on an 11-1 second-quarter run to lead 26-21 at halftime. The Huskies appeared to have all the momentum as Annabella Jensen, who led her team with 18 points, appeared unstoppable.

“We’re just really good at coming back,” said Scoresby, who had 23 points, including six free throws late in the game that prevented Hillcrest from rallying. “We were pretty confident we could come back. I just kept telling myself I could do it and knock them down.”

Second-half comebacks have been a trend for Westlake this season.

“It’s funny, but a lot of games we hang in there and hang in there for a half,” O’Connor said. “They believe in themselves. They have been behind before. There is no panic in them. They don’t quit.”

This was a battle between the outside shooting of Westlake, which hit eight 3-pointers, and the inside strength of the Huskies, who kept driving and driving inside.

But Hillcrest could not cope with the scoring of Hester, who finished with 20 points, and Scoresby.

Trailing 34-27 in the third, those two players combined for a 14-0 run that Hillcrest never could recover from.

So Westlake keeps this historic run alive by doing what it has done much of the year.

Coming from behind.

WESTLAKE 54, HILLCREST 47 <br>• Samantha Hester and Marissa Scoresby put together a 14-0 rally to bring Westlake back from a seven-point deficit. <br>• Anabella Jensen enjoys a big game for Hillcrest, but her 18 points and nine rebounds aren’t quite enough. <br>• Westlake never had won a girls’ basketball state tournament game going entering this tournament.