Green Canyon captures first girl's basketball 4A state title with thrilling win over Dixie

OGDEN — The top two teams in the state of Utah for girls 4A basketball met in the state championship and did not disappoint.

Green Canyon erased an eight-point deficit in the second half on their way to a 59-53 win to clinch the school's first girls basketball state championship.

"This has just been a great group of girls," Green Canyon head coach Kara Foster said. "They bought in from the beginning, which I think is rare. They set the standard high for Green Canyon Girls basketball and I'm so proud of them for doing that."

Both the 1-seeded Flyers and 2-seeded Wolves came into the state final with identical 24-2 records in a showdown that was exciting from the start.

The game went to the end of the wire before Green Canyon pulled away late behind standout performances from Talyssa Nelson and Kloey Tensmeyer. It was a slow shooting performance from the Wolves but Nelson and Tensmeyer came through when their team needed them the most.

The senior Nelson scored a game-high 20 points but no shot was more important than her dagger three that put the game out of reach with just under a minute left to play.

"I just saw it and I said, I really hope this goes in," Nelson said.

Dixie controlled the game for most of the first half before Green River began to find their groove in the third quarter.

Nelson hit a tough step-back three to cut into the Flyer's lead after it had grown to eight. It was exactly what the Wolves needed to see after shots weren't falling in the first half. A flurry of buckets helped Green Canyon gain confidence and take the lead entering the fourth quarter.

"I was really proud of how we responded," Foster said. "We've been down in a few games this year and they respond really well. We practice defense first every day in practice, so we know if we could get some defensive stops and just keep attacking the basket, hopefully and eventually we'll dig ourselves out of that deficit."

Tensmeyer brought plenty of energy to help contribute to the momentum shift. The junior guard picked up a loose ball and went coast to coast before dropping off a pass to Claire Brown who scored to give the Wolves a four-point lead.

Following a response from the Flyers, Tensmeyer buried a big three to break the tie and force a timeout from Dixie head coach Kasey Winters.

"Kloey's carried us all year," Nelson said of her teammate. "I am so proud of Kloey. Kloey's been an awesome teammate. I love her so much."

Foster also had high praise for Tensmeyer and the spark she brought to help turn the tides of the game in favor of Green Canyon.

"She really is huge for us," Foster said. "She gets the ball down the court quick, she distributes well. Maybe she's not hitting shots, but she's distributing. She's taking care of the ball for us. She's getting offense going."

After taking their largest lead of the game with eight points from an and-one from Halle Hunter, the Wolves would hold strong and put the game out of reach with Nelson's clutch 3-point basket.

Green Canyon was able to cut down the nets and celebrate with plenty of joyous fans who made the trip from Logan to watch their girls win their first state championship and cut down the nets.

It felt so good," Nelson said. "This was a long time coming. It feels awesome, indescribable."

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