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OGDEN — Kailey Woolston and the Lone Peak Knights scored when it mattered most Saturday morning and outscored Skyridge 24-6 in the fourth quarter to win the 6A girls basketball Utah state championship 64-49 at Dee Events Center.
"I think what they showed is just the grit and heart and leadership to step up and take the team on their backs," head coach Nancy Warner said of Woolston and the other Lone Peak seniors. "I'm just proud of Kailey and Makeili (Ika) and their leadership as seniors, and just proud of their effort for sticking to it all the way through."
Woolston, a 5-foot-10 guard headed to BYU, had 8 of her game-high 18 points in the first quarter and 10 in the fourth to help the Knights open and close the game the right way.
Lone Peak got out to an 8-0 start, but Skyridge came back with a vengeance and held the Knights to just 6 points in the second quarter to lead 25-22 at halftime.
"We were missing right around the rim. We were turning the ball over way too much," Warner said of the first half. "So I was just reminding them what they're capable of doing and making sure that they're doing those things and not letting the opponent dictate what we were doing."
The third quarter was a back-and-forth affair, with 18 points scored by both teams. But Ika hit a buzzer-beater 3-pointer at the end of the period to give Lone Peak momentum heading into the fourth quarter.
The Knights took a 3-point lead midway through the fourth quarter and never gave it up. A 3-pointer from Woolston with two minutes remaining put Lone Peak up 55-49, and Skyridge was forced to begin fouling to stop the clock. The Knights were able to seal the win from the charity stripe, where it shot 78% from the free-throw line.
Your 2023 Utah 6A girls basketball champion: Lone Peak, defeating Skyridge 64-49. pic.twitter.com/psltOjhs6e
— Caleb Turner (@calebturner23) March 4, 2023
"Everyone was able to come together and really show what we're made of," Woolston said.
Three teammates joined Woolston in double figures, and her sister, Kennedy, even got in on the action with a key 3-pointer in the second half.
"I tell (the Woolstons) all the time, 'I'm sad that Kailey's leaving but I'm grateful I have another one,'" Warner said.
