ST. GEORGE — Three of the top four seeds in the 4A girls state basketball tournament won second-round games Thursday night, and two of those teams are from Region 9.

No. 2 Snow Canyon got 31 points from Olivia Hamlin and dominated No. 15 Mountain View 77-37, while No. 3 Cedar had no problem with No. 14 Provo en route to a 54-29 victory.

No. 4 Cottonwood, however, was upset by No. 13 Desert Hills by one point, 49-48.

With the score tied 48-48, Desert Hills’ Hannah Heaton made one of two free throws with 2 seconds remaining to give the Thunder a one-point lead, after which Cottonwood was unable to get off a final shot.

Meanwhile, top-seeded Ridgeline eliminated No. 17 Crimson Cliffs by an 86-24 margin.

And in an all-Region 9 matchup at Hurricane, No. 9 Dixie ended No. 8 Hurricane’s season, beating the host Tigers 59-46.

Half of the eight quarterfinal teams at the 4A girls state tournament beginning Monday at Utah Valley University in Orem are from Region 9.

Click here to view the girls 4A state basketball tournament bracket.

Dixie 59, Hurricane 46

Nothing came easy for the Flyers on the road as Hurricane led after each of the first three quarters of play, but Dixie prevailed in the fourth quarter when senior Kealah Faumuina led the Flyers to the comeback win.

“I’m so proud of us for being able to stay in it. Even when we were down we still had that momentum. We still wanted just to be better and win,” Faumuina told St. George News after the win. “I can’t be more proud of our team. I can’t think of anybody else that I would want to do this with.”

Hurricane came out strong and took a 10-4 lead after the first quarter, upping their advantage at home to 23-15 at halftime. The Tigers then coaxed the lead up to 39-30 going into the final frame.

Then Faumuina scored 11 of her 20 total points and led Dixie to a 29-7 run in the fourth quarter that sealed the come-from-behind victory.

Dixie lost to Hurricane in the Hangar the last time these two teams met and Faumuina said that was big motivation going into the playoff game.

“Just to get that drive back after we lost to them, that fueled us and we wanted tonight to go up to state and prove to people that we’re better than they think we are,” Faumuina said.

Jerzi Bundy played a critical role in Dixie’s win, sinking 10 free throws and finishing with 12 points. Hali Smith scored nine points before she fouled out and Averi Gledhill contributed eight points for Dixie’s cause.

Hurricane was led by Addison Crandall, who threw in 14 points in her last game in the Tigers Den. Whitney Esplin netted 11 points and Ana Larsen and Nini Dominguez each scored six points for Hurricane.

The Tigers completed their season with a 13-11 record.

Dixie earned a 4A state quarterfinal matchup against No. 1 seed and defending state champion Ridgeline.

“We just have to calm down. One of our biggest struggles I think is just the mentality,” Faumuina said. “I think that if we can just keep that mental strength up, where we don’t panic or just throw it away, then we’ll be able to provide some tough competition.”

Cedar 54, Provo 29

The Reds rolled to a convincing win over the Bulldogs with junior forward Annalyse Shimada leading the way with 20 points and senior center Kiara Hansen adding 12.

Cedar started strong, taking a 30-9 lead by the halfway point of the second quarter. Provo rallied a bit after that but still trailed 34-16 at halftime.

Throughout the second half, the Reds managed to keep their point total roughly double that of the Bulldogs. Provo converted 16-of-25 free throws, which accounted for nearly 62% of their points.

“We fouled too much,” Cedar head coach Corry Nielsen said afterward. “That’s been a problem for us all year. As we continue on (in the playoffs), we cannot give teams easy points.”

Nevertheless, Nielsen said he was pleased with his team’s effort on both ends of the court.

Speaking of Shimada, he said, “She’s hard to guard. She’s six feet one, she’s shooting 3’s, she can penetrate, she can post up, she’s athletic, she’s long, she’s fast.”

For the past several games, he added, Shimada has been playing with a new level of confidence.

Nielsen also praised the solid offensive play of other key contributors, including center Hansen and guards Mya Bishoff and Kenzie Bird, who finished with 11 and eight points, respectively.

The Reds improved to 18-5 overall on the season with the win, which earned them a quarterfinal matchup against No. 6 Green Canyon on Monday at 4:10 p.m. at Utah Valley University in Orem.

“When you get into the final eight, everybody’s good,” Nielsen added, noting that every contest from this point forward can be considered a one-game season. “We’ll just keep preparing and keep doing our best.”

– written by Jeff Richards

Desert Hills 49, Cottonwood 48

The Thunder joined their Region 9 colleagues in the state quarterfinals after a gutsy road upset.

Desert Hills jumped out to an 11-5 lead in the first quarter, surprising the home crowd and taking command early. The Thunder enjoyed a 28-22 advantage at the halftime break.

Cottonwood cut its deficit to 39-35 before the final quarter of play.

The home team won the fourth session 13-10 but Desert Hills eked out the one-point victory on Hannah Heaton’s free throw. Heaton finished with eight points in the victory.

Jenna Brown (17 points, two 3-pointers) and Mylee Villanueva (13 points, one 3-pointer) combined to power the Thunder to the upset win.

Cottonwood’s Alivia Hutton led all scorers with 18 points but it was not enough for Cottonwood.

Desert Hills advanced to the quarterfinal round and a matchup with No. 5 Payson in Monday’s nightcap at UVU in Orem at 9:10 p.m.

Snow Canyon 77, Mountain View 37

The Warriors cruised to a 40-point win at home behind junior sensation Olivia Hamlin.

The leading scorer in Utah prep basketball added 31 more points to her yearly total despite sitting out much of the second half against the Bruins.

Snow Canyon led 18-9 after the first and took an insurmountable 43-19 lead into halftime. The Warriors upped their lead to 55-31 going into the fourth quarter and led wire to wire in the win.

Hamlin grabbed 12 rebounds to post a double-double. Joey Jensen contributed 15 points for the winners and Kelly Howard scored nine off of three 3-pointers.

Six other Warriors scored at least two points in the blowout win.

Mountain View was led by Jaycee Carlson’s 12 points in the defeat.

Snow Canyon advanced to Monday’s quarterfinal round and is scheduled for a 5:50 p.m. tipoff against Sky View.

Ridgeline 86, Crimson Cliffs 24

The No. 1 Riverhawks removed any doubt about the outcome after posting a 22-2 lead in the first quarter.

Junior Emily Skinner led Ridgeline with a triple-double: 27 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists. Elise Livingston and Macie Brown scored 16 points apiece for the winners.

Six other Riverhawks recorded at least a point in the blowout win.

Crimson Cliffs saw its season end with a 7-17 overall record. The Mustangs got a team-high seven points from Summer Adams in the setback.

Kenadee Richey and Jaynee Haul netted four points apiece for Crimson’s cause.

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