Cedar, which is currently second in Region 9, had a bye but hosts Dixie on Thursday.

Dixie 63, Desert Hills 56

Appropriately for senior night in the Hangar, Jaycee Bundy and Kealah Faumuina tag-teamed the Flyers to a tough win over the Thunder.

In their last Region 9 basketball game at home, Bundy and Faumuina combined to score 53 of Dixie’s 63 points.

“I feel like I’ve done my part trying to get all of our seniors our wins,” Faumuina told St. George News after finishing with a game-high 31. “So it just feels good to have it be my night and just have our seniors get all that we’ve worked for the last four years.”

Faumuina did a little bit of everything Tuesday night, scoring from the paint, handling the ball to break Desert Hills’ press and getting key blocks down the stretch. 

Bundy started things off with three straight 3-pointers to begin the game, propelling the Flyers to a 20-6 lead after one quarter.

“Jaycee was so good. It’s so nice to be able to be in the post and then have someone to kick out to that can hit the shot, so we have that good inside-outside dynamic,” Faumuina said.

Dixie enjoyed a 33-18 advantage before the Thunder rallied in the third quarter.

Hannah Heaton led Desert Hills with 20 points in the contest. The Thunder cut its deficit from 15 points to 11 going into the fourth.

Then Ashtin Hansen sank two 3’s, Heaton dropped in a floater and Jenna Brown scored off the glass, pushing Desert Hills as close as four points late in the game.

The contest was decided from the free throw line in the last two minutes and Dixie held on to win.

Dixie lost a couple of close games in the regular season but Faumuina said the Flyers feel like they can beat anybody when they play like they did against the Thunder.

“Do what we just did, times 10,” Faumuina said. “I just want us to be able to work together. We’ve been focusing on defense for the majority of the season, and I just want to see us reach our top potential. We can do that if we just get all of us to work together.”

Snow Canyon 63, Hurricane 49

The Warriors stayed unbeaten in Region 9 games after blazing to a 26-9 lead in the Jungle after the first quarter. The home team upped that lead to 42-20 at halftime and never looked back.

Utah’s leading scorer Olivia Hamlin added 27 points to her yearly total to lead the Warriors.

Hamlin shot 12-of-20 from the field and made two 3-pointers. She also tallied five assists, five steals and two blocks.

Kelly Howard had a big night for the hosts, sinking three 3’s and recording 20 points. Joey Jensen canned a trey and chipped in with seven points for the winners.

Hurricane came back to win both the third and fourth quarters, but the early deficit was too much to overcome.

Abbigail Stout and Whitney Esplin made two 3-pointers and scored 13 points apiece for Hurricane in the defeat. Katen Myers had a 3 and scored nine points for the Tigers.

Crimson Cliffs 58, Pine View 37

At Crimson Cliffs, the Mustangs used a 17-1 run in the second quarter to pull away from Pine View and pick up their second region win.

Senior night proved to be a big night for Crimson’s four seniors as Kinsey Plewe, Ellie Christensen, Kenadee Richey and Summer Adams combined to score 47 points in a balanced offensive effort.

Pine View had jumped out to an early 6-0 lead to open the game. Plewe’s first 3-pointer cut the Panthers’ lead to 8-6.

Then, with 1:15 left in the first, Adams drained a 3 to give Crimson Cliffs its first lead, 13-10.

During the second period, Crimson’s defense held Pine View to zero field goals and a single free throw as the Mustangs built a commanding 32-13 lead by the halftime break.

After outscoring Crimson 14-10 in the third, the Panthers pulled within 11 points early in the fourth. Reese Gustin made a layup on a fast break to cut the deficit to 42-31.

Pine View’s rally was stopped cold at that point, as Crimson embarked on a 15-1 run, capped off by another Plewe 3-pointer, her fourth of the night, which made it 57-32 with just over one minute to go.

Richey was Crimson’s leading scorer with 17 points, while Plewe added 16 and Adams contributed 12. Richey and Colleen Korella each had eight rebounds. Korella also had six points and six assists.

Also for the Mustangs, junior center Alyssa Whittaker finished with five points, five rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block.

The Panthers were led by Gustin’s 16 points, while center Charity Falaniko added 10 points for Pine View.

– written by Jeff Richards

Snow Canyon’s Joey Jensen looks to score against Hurricane in a Region 9 girls basketball game, St. George, Utah, Feb. 13, 2024 | Photo by Aaron Crane, St. George News

Kealah Faumuina goes up for two of her 31 points against Desert Hills in a Region 9 girls basketball game, St. George, Utah, Feb. 13, 2024 | Photo by E. George Goold, St. George News

Dixie’s Jaycee Bundy looks to score two of her 22 points against Desert Hills in a Region 9 girls basketball game, St. George, Utah, Feb. 13, 2024 | Photo by E. George Goold, St. George News

Dixie’s Kealah Faumuina looks to score two of her 31 points against Desert Hills in a Region 9 girls basketball game, St. George, Utah, Feb. 13, 2024 | Photo by E. George Goold, St. George News

Desert Hills’ Ellie Westhoff (10) passes against Dixie in a Region 9 girls basketball game, St. George, Utah, Feb. 13, 2024 | Photo by E. George Goold, St. George News

Desert Hills’ Hannah Heaton scores two of her 20 points against Dixie in a Region 9 girls basketball game, St. George, Utah, Feb. 13, 2024 | Photo by E. George Goold, St. George News

Desert Hills’ Ashtin Hansen (right) passes against Dixie in a Region 9 girls basketball game, St. George, Utah, Feb. 13, 2024 | Photo by E. George Goold, St. George News

Hurricane’s Abbigail Stout looks to pass against Desert Hills in a Region 9 girls basketball game, St. George, Utah, Feb. 13, 2024 | Photo by Aaron Crane, St. George News

Hurricane’s Nizhoni Dominguez shoots against Desert Hills in a Region 9 girls basketball game, St. George, Utah, Feb. 13, 2024 | Photo by Aaron Crane, St. George News

Snow Canyon’s Olivia Hamlin drives against Hurricane in a Region 9 girls basketball game, St. George, Utah, Feb. 13, 2024 | Photo by Aaron Crane, St. George News

Hurricane’s Whitney Esplin shoots against Snow Canyon in a Region 9 girls basketball game, St. George, Utah, Feb. 13, 2024 | Photo by Aaron Crane, St. George News

Eric George Goold came to St. George News from southwestern Colorado, where he was a radio news reporter. He has been a journalist for over 20 years in five different states. He graduated with a master’s degree in English from Kansas State University and writes nonfiction as well. Goold has been published in Sunstone Magazine and has done multiple public readings about local history. When he has free time, he enjoys chess, movies and dogs.