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PROVO — The Springville Red Devils came into the 5A girls tournament as a deceptive sixth seed.
All five of the teams' losses came to 6A schools, four of which played in the 6A semifinals. The Red Devils had not lost a game since Dec. 18, but they still had to take on top-seeded Lehi if they hoped to repeat as champions.
And though the Red Devils had to go through a higher-seeded opponent, Springville came out on top with a 54-43 win over Lehi at the Marriott Center in Provo.
Lehi jumped out to an early lead after scoring on their first three possessions, but Springville's defense responded, which is something Springville head coach Holli Averett takes pride in with her team. It wasn't surprising to see the Red Devils respond but the fashion in which they did it was impressive.
Springville turned the Pioneers over seven times in the first quarter alone, which helped the Red Devils go on a 9-3 run and take a 3-point lead after the first quarter of play.
The teams traded buckets to begin the second quarter, but the Red Devils, once again, responded with another 14-5 run to closeout the half. Averett credited her team's strong defense for their late quarter runs.
"We came back to our defense and really amped up the pressure," Averett said. "These girls really buy in defensively, and that, in turn, leads to our offense."
Springville also dominated the offensive rebounds and outrebounded Lehi 7-0 and managed 14 points off 10 Lehi turnovers in the first half.
The Red Devils built up a 10-point lead at halftime and maintained it through the third quarter. Springville moved the ball in the fourth quarter to get open looks and several trips to the free-throw line, which spelled success as the team made 20 free throws.
Springville's combination of free-throw shooting and defense led to the win and back-to-back state championships.
"I'm honestly speechless. I don't even know how to express how happy and proud I am of these girls," Averett said. "These girls played with such heart and never stopped working. It wasn't always easy; we had a long season full of ups and downs, but these girls just kept fighting and we hit our stride at the right moment."
A huge catalyst for the Red Devils maintaining their lead in the second half was junior Katyal Porray, who got her tooth knocked out of place midway through the second quarter. She was forced to leave the game but had teammates step in before she re-entered the game in the second half.
"Luckily, a dentist was in the stands and came over to pop it back into place," Porray said. "I knew my team needed me out there and I needed to be there for them."
Porray returned in a huge way and scored all six of the Red Devils' third-quarter points; and although the junior played well, she gave all the credit to her teammates.
"I knew we had to get our momentum going, and we were able to do that by just playing team ball," Porray said. "It all goes back to the way that we push each other, and it's just been an amazing experience."
