TAYLORSVILLE — Points were at a premium in Copper Hill's quarterfinal matchup with Riverton.

But not for Kaitlyn Sissler.

Sissler scored 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting, and Shirsten Wissinger had eight of her team-high 12 points, to lead the undefeated Grizzlies to a 42-36 win over the Silverwolves at the Class 5A girls basketball state tournament Thursday at Salt Lake Community College.

"My teammates driving got me open. Those were wide-open shots that I make every day in practice," said Sissler, who was 3 of 5 from 3-point range. "My teammates were making those open gaps to me.

"Riverton kind of gave us a gift, I guess."

Amberly Lazenby scored four of her seven points in the first half for Copper Hills (23-0), and Kiarra Gasu supplied six points and two of the Grizzlies' 16 steals.

Sissler hit a triple just 18 seconds into the second half as the Grizzlies hit back-to-back shots to take a 24-11 lead early in the third quarter and hold on from there.

"If it wasn't for Kait Sissler making big shots in this game, and in a couple of our region games with so much attention to shutting down Shirsten, we wouldn't be undefeated," Copper Hills coach Ben Morley said. "She is so calm; nothing can faze her. She's unflappable — no moment is too big for her.

"Even when she misses, it looks like it's going to go in. She's in a great rhythm right now, and played really well for us."

Copper Hills advanced to its first 5A semifinal in girls basketball history. The West Jordan school known primarily for its softball and drill programs, as well as New England Patriots defensive lineman Sealver Siliga, could face fellow undefeated Layton in the 5A semifinals Friday at 7:30 p.m.

"We've had softball and drill, and (boys) basketball a long time ago, but other than that, no one has ever gotten here," Sissler said.

The Silverwolves (21-4) didn't go quietly after trailing. Riverton used a 7-0 run to pull within 24-18 on Brenna Blaser's trey just over three minutes into the third quarter. But Wissinger scored just her second field goal of the game with 12 seconds remaining in the third to give the Grizzlies a 33-26 lead going into the final period.

"It was similar to our first-round matchup with Davis: Our defense was outstanding tonight," Morley said. "I feel like we had a good plan going in, but the girls executed it to perfection. We had so many deflections in this game, and I think we disrupted what we tried to do."

Tiena Afu started for the Silverwolves, just one game after leaving Riverton's first-round win over Clearfield late with an apparent left knee injury. The senior scored seven of her team's 11 points in the first half, including Riverton's opening score on a 3-pointer at the 5:38 mark of the first quarter.

Afu finished with 14 points, six rebounds, two assists and five steals for the Silverwolves, who got a game-high 15 points and 12 rebounds from Morgan Kane. But the two standout post players were held in check by Copper Hills' versatile defender Mikelle Magalogo.

"I honestly think she's the best defender in the state," Morley said of Magalogo. "I can't say enough good things about Mikelle; she's an amazing defender and a great leader, and there's no way we win this game without her."

But the Grizzlies held Riverton to one field goal in the second quarter, and used a 10-2 run to take a 19-11 advantage into halftime. Sisler scored five points in the first half to lead the Grizzlies, who got just two points from leading scorer Wissinger. The fourth-year player who averaged 19.9 points per game before Thursday made her first field goal on a bank shot with 27 seconds left in the first half, and had just four points going into the final period.

"She just wants to win," Morley said of Wissinger. "If we've got a different group out there that's doing good things, she's fine to just watch and gather herself. When she comes in, she does her thing."

None of that mattered, as the veteran played to her strengths down the stretch and helped her team to a historic occasion.

"Riverton's a great team, and winning those to go on to the semifinals is a huge deal," Wissinger said. "It's never been done in Copper Hills history. It's amazing."

LAYTON 54, PLEASANT GROVE 37 — At SLCC, the Lancers had never seen a team as big as Pleasant Grove, with a front line that included 6-foot-5 Malli Valgardson and 6-foot-7 Sara Hamson. They were a little wide-eyed, by their own admission. But they found a way around it.

Hailey Bassett and Livia Borgess each finished with a game-high 15 points, and the Lancers used a 13-2 run in the second quarter to sprint past the Vikings in a 5A state quarterfinal Thursday.

"At one point in the post, I was marking (Hamson), and I just looked at my coach," said the 5-10 Borgess, who also had four rebounds, five assists and five steals. "After that, I had momentum and I was fired up. Our defensive momentum gets us going, and fuels our offense."

After Pleasant Grove (13-10) jumped out to a 10-2 lead early, Layton (23-0) responded with a full-court press and a steady supply of transition baskets to pull away and set up the all-undefeated semifinal. Layton coach Van Price pulled his players to the bench, and admitted their eyes were "a little big" at the Vikings' size.

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5A girls basketball state tournament

The UHSAA girls basketball state quarterfinals tip off Thursday at Salt Lake Community College in Taylorsville, beginning at 2:30 p.m. for Class 5A.

"We haven't seen a team that big before," said Price, whose team held the Vikings to four points in the second quarter. "We just had to settle down and play our game, and they did."

The Lancers forced 28 turnovers, and scored 30 points off them, in sprinting to the win.

"Our press helped out a lot," said Bassett, who also had six rebounds and three blocks. "I think that's one of the strongest assets of our game.

"We just came together as a team and found our game."

Sunnie Martinez added 13 points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals for the Lancers.

"She stepped up and had a great game," Price said. "She shot the ball really well; she's done that all year. If she's not knocking, someone else does. That's what is good about this team — there are a lot of scorers."

The Lancers and Grizzlies will square off in a semifinal with a combined 46-0 record.

"It's the dream, with two 23-0 teams meeting each other to see who makes the finals," Price said. "It will be fun, and it will be a challenge; they are a real good team."

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