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SALT LAKE — Even Bountiful Redhawks head coach Joel Burton didn't see a shutout in the first quarter coming.
"I honestly thought we were going to have a great first quarter," Burton said. "I didn't see 17-0 in the cards at all."
And neither did anyone else in the Jon M. Huntsman Center, but that was the case as the Redhawks stamped their names in the history books, completing their own successful 5A title defense with a 62-35 rout of Wasatch Friday morning.
"It was an awesome way to start the game up 17-0," Burton said. "I don't know if I've ever seen our team do that."
Aside from the shutout to start the game, forward Taylor Harvey led Bountiful with 24 points and eight rebounds, scoring 18 of them after halftime. Sophomore guard Milika Satuala added 19 more with eight rebounds of her own.
Burton said Bountiful is lucky to have two talented players like Harvey and Satuala. "We're very blessed to have those kids; the leaders that they are is simply amazing."
Wasatch, making their first title game appearance since 2009, was led by guard Payton Benthke with 16 points. Ashley Garner finished with 11 rebounds and nine points, coming 1 point shy of another double-double.
Wasatch head coach Aubrey Hull said her team was ultimately done in by the slow start. The Wasps were held to 1-of-22 shooting in the first half, and did not score their first point until the nearly seven-minute mark of the second quarter.
"When you hit the bright lights, sometimes it can have the effect you didn't expect," Hull said. "Bountiful just had too many weapons to allow us to get consistent stops."
Point guard Adelaide Stevenson was one of them, facilitating a dynamic offensive attack and anchoring a stout defense that held Wasatch to just 16.7% shooting for the game.
"Our defense has always carried us," Stevenson said. "We were just locked in harder than we were before."
Burton said that is a testament to his team's hard work all season. He said he was more focused on getting a chance to return to the big stage, not even wondering about a repeat state title.
"We had such a young group of kids that I wondered if we could do this," Burton said. "It took a while and a lot of work, but we're there."
He added when he began his tenure at Bountiful, the goal was to win four or five games a season. Now, in his 16th year, he's got back-to-back state titles on his resume.
"I sometimes even wonder how we do it," Burton said. "We just find a way anyway."
This season, the Redhawks found a way riding the play of Taylor Harvey and Milika Satuala. Stevenson said how it's an honor to be on the floor with them every game. "I'm just excited to see where they go in the future."
The Wasps also have a bright future, too. Even though they'll lose forward Bailey Sweat and Garner to graduation, the bulk of their team will return next season.
"They laid a great foundation for our program," Hull said. "We just hope the kids follow in their footsteps."
She added their team unity will last forever, even after the wins fade away. "They really came together at the end; it was an incredible experience having our town and fans come support us here at the U."
Meanwhile, the Redhawks will celebrate another state title, and Stevenson said there's no doubt they could potentially 3-peat next season. "I'm just so grateful to experience this with our team; it never gets old."
