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TAYLORSVILLE — With about two minutes left in a Class 5A quarterfinal Wednesday, Skyline’s Madison Grange and Cameron Mooney were sent to the bench with a big applause.
The duo were running and gunning like they were seeking back-to-back state titles — which of course, they were.
It’s all part of the motto for last year’s state champs — gas pedal.
“Push the gas and don’t stop,” Mooney said. “We just want to push ahead, and keep the lead without giving it up.”
Mooney scored a game-high 21 points, and reigning KSL 4A MVP Grange added 14 that included a pair of 3-pointers, to lift the Eagles to a convincing 48-33 win over the Red Devils and advance to Friday’s state semifinals.
Brooke Galbraith led Springville (5-19) with 12 points, and Breanna Eves supplied nine for the Red Devils.
Springville kept it close early, trailing just 14-10 after the first quarter. But Skyline held Springville to just two field goals in the second quarter to run out to a 24-15 halftime lead.
Mooney scored back-to-back buckets during the 10-5 spurt through the second quarter as the Eagles forced Springville to deal with their advantage in the post.
“We knew we had a size advantage with her, so that was our focal point,” Skyline coach Lynette Schroeder said. “We tried to get her involved.”
Tara Warner’s jumper with 3:47 left in the third pulled the Red Devils back within 10, 31-21. But that was as close as Springville would get for the rest of the quarter and the Eagles salted away the win.
Springville, which won three games during the regular season, advanced to the state tournament with a play-in game win over Maple Mountain last Thursday. The Red Devils then pulled off the stunner of the tournament, a win over top-seeded Roy thanks to a frenetic pace and a loaded turnover count.
The Eagles took care of the ball, though, and forced Springville to play at their pace with the inside-out game of Grange and Mooney.
“I think that’s experience, but also their demeanor,” Schroeder said. “We talk about being poised a lot in practice, and I was happy with how they showed that tonight.”
The magic ran out Wednesday against the reigning 4A state champions, who have high hopes of repeating.
“We have what it takes, the experience and everything,” Mooney said. “But having to go through these teams is tough. We might even have to play another team in our region like we did last year.”
