The Bountiful High girls basketball team, ranked at the top of the state in 5A much of the season, came into the state tournament as the third seed and took down the No. 1 West Panthers squad 57-47 Feb. 28 at the University of Utah to win its third championship in a row. The Redhawks got some separation in the back-and-forth game in the third quarter as they went up 11. But West responded with a run to take the lead and then Bountiful hit some big shots and played tough defense to battle back and take control of the game.

 “This state tournament really gave a lot of kids the chance to step up in big moments,” said head coach Joel Burton. “We saw a lot of our girls really step up as we moved through the tournament. To see our young kids really step in and be huge for us against West was impressive. Our defense really carried us through the tournament.”

Junior point guard Milika Satuala led the scoring in the title game with 17 points while sophomore guard Maleah Nelson added 15. Also adding offense were Taylor Harvey (nine points), Charlotte Johnson (seven), Adelaide Stevenson (four), Brynna Castleton (three) and Abby Orme (two).

“We had times that we struggled scoring but other teams struggled to score against us as well,” Burton said. “Of course Milika, Mae and Taylor were big and always are. Charlotte led us in scoring against Spanish Fork, Maleah had 15 points against West, Adelaide is always guarding one of the other team’s best players. There were several others who also had big moments in the tournament. That has been how the season has gone. This has been a fun team that loves and celebrates each other.”

To reach the final game, the Redhawks defeated No. 2 Wasatch 62-43 Feb. 26 in the semifinals in a rematch of last year’s 5A state championship game. Bountiful came out firing in a dominant third quarter – including a 10-0 run – to open up the game just after halftime while also locking down defensively and holding the Wasps to 25 percent shooting and forcing 17 turnovers.

Harvey had 23 points, eight rebounds and six blocks with Satuala adding 13 points, six rebounds and five assists. Mae Johnson shut down Wasatch’s center Mahal Speredon, limiting her to just six points, while also grabbing 11 rebounds and four steals in the win.

In the quarterfinal round, the Redhawks beat No. 22 Spanish Fork 57-16 Feb. 25. After a 21-8 first half, Bountiful put the game out of reach with 24 third-quarter points – while the Dons scored just two – and coasted to the win that took them to the semifinal game. Charlotte Johnson had 13 points with Harvey and Nelson adding 12 and 10 points, respectively. Mae Johnson’s nine rebounds, four blocks and four steals also contributed heavily to the dominating win.

Harvey, a senior, averaged nearly 16 points a game while Satuala added 14. Mae Johnson was the team’s leading rebounder with nearly 10 a matchup. Satuala led the group in assists and steals while Harvey and Mae Johnson combined for 78 blocks on the year.

Also on the 2024-25 team were seniors Isabeau Hoff, Mae Johnson, Anna Larson and Abby Orme; juniors Caroline Cannon, Brooklyn Dodge, Charlotte Johnson, Abrielle Kattelman, Aimee Moore and Adelaide Stevenson; sophomores Brynna Castleton, May Hale, Mia Loya, Carlie Nielsen, Faith Nixon and Morgan Rogers; and freshmen Dylan Carpenter, Amelia Geilman, Annabelle Gilbert, Norah Harrison, Kayd Kupfer, Mina Marriot, Tess Morley and Lauren Smith.

Davis

The sixth-seeded Davis High girls basketball team reached the 6A semifinals before losing to the eventual champion Lone Peak 66-48 Feb. 26 at the University of Utah. The Darts were down just 40-33 at the half before a decisive 20-6 third quarter put Davis down big in the loss.

Junior guard T’Maea Eteuati overcame an ankle injury from the quarterfinal matchup to score 13 points while sophomore Kate Willard had 12 and Mari Nichols 10 to lead the offense. Sydney Plummer (six points), Kiara Zwonitzer (four), Chloe Peery (two) and Lydia Tarbet (one) also contributed to the scoring.

In the quarterfinal round, the Darts upset No. 3 Westlake 46-44 Feb. 24 despite struggles with lack of experience and execution at the free throw line late in the game. Davis hit just three at the charity stripe – out of 12 – but sophomore Kate Willard put in two key free throws with under 30 seconds to go up five points and help close out the win.

The Darts got up early and had an 11-point lead heading into the second quarter, but the Thunder chipped away over the next three quarters, outscoring Davis in every quarter. In the end, the Darts held Westlake off – despite losing Eteuati in the fourth quarter to an ankle injury – to come away with the close win.

Others providing offense were Willard (12 points), Nichols (11), Tarbet (four), Zwonitzer and Peery (two) and Aubrey Simons (one).

Eteuati was the leader this season with 17 points and six rebounds a game while also topping the squad in assists and steals. Willard also had eight points and five rebounds a game.

Also on the 2024-25 team were seniors Mari Nichols, Sydney Plummer, Aubrey Simons and Maki West; juniors Tatiana Faulua, Emma Loveland, Chloe Peery, Emy Richards and Kiara Zwonitzer; sophomores Bostyn Buhler, Brooke Dodenbier, Hadlie Chamberlin, Cambell Christensen, Hannah Garlock, Brooklyn Harbertson, Grace Layton, Peyton Marble, Avery Peterson, Lydia Tarbet and Ainsley Wright; and freshmen Tessa Hansen, Avery Gordon and Eva Pitcher.