Orem • Salem Hills star senior Lauren Gustin led both vocally and by example in her team’s Class 4A girls’ basketball state quarterfinal against Cedar Hills, dominating both on the offensive and defensive side of the court.
Her efforts helped Salem Hills take down Cedar City 58-48 to reach the state semifinals. She filled up the stat sheet, totaling 32 points while also grabbing 14 rebounds and converting 11 of 16 free throws.
Cedar City managed to take advantage while Gustin was on the bench in foul trouble.
“Lauren had a couple fouls in the first half that kind of slowed her down a little bit,” Salem Hills coach Kyle Francom said. “She had to sit there toward the end of the first half. In the second half, I knew she was hungry. The first half wasn’t what she wanted, so she made sure to come out in the second half and do what she does.”
With the offense running through her for the majority of the night, Gustin knew what was at stake.
“My teammates did a really good job of finding me in open spots,” she said. “Whenever I have the open shot, I’m going to take it. The first half didn’t go exactly how we wanted, but I knew if we could just stay patient, it would all come together.”
The Skyhawks pushed a two-point lead at halftime to 10 points entering the fourth quarter thanks to going 3 for 6 from 3-point range in the third quarter.
Dream Weaver led Cedar City with 10 points and 12 rebounds, while Carley Davis added 13 points and six rebounds.
Salem Hills hit 9 of its 13 free-throw attempts in the fourth quarter.