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SALT LAKE CITY — For most of the season, the Bountiful girl's basketball team has relied on Taylor Harvey's defense.
In Tuesday's 5A state semifinals, the Redhawks keyed in on the defense of the Texas volleyball commit who averages 19.1 points per game.
Harvey totaled 30 points, seven rebounds, three steals and five blocks to help the Redhawks outscore the Bees 36-25 in the second half en route to a 61-53 win at the Jon M. Huntsman Center.
Millika Satuala added 17 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and four steals for the Redhawks (23-3), who advanced to face Wasatch in the 5A championship Friday at 11 a.m. MST.
"I think she knows that she's got to be the one to really set the tone for us, and that everything is going to go through her as we make a run for a title," Bountiful coach Joel Burton said of Harvey. "It has been for three years; everybody knows about Taylor, and she's going to try to step up and meet the challenge. There's a reason why she's doing what she does with volleyball. She's just tough, both mentally and physically, too."
Ashlyn Wight poured in 20 points for Box Elder, and when the senior point guard was at her best, so were the Bees (20-6).
Harvey gave the Redhawks a 12-5 lead with a turnaround jumper en route to an 18-11 first-quarter advantage.
But the Bees didn't back down, tying the game at 20-all on Olivia Godfrey's bucket midway through the second half. Madi Thurgood gave Box Elder its first lead with a drive to the rim with 3:40 left in the half.
Harvey restored Bountiful's lead with a setback 3-pointer with 2:51 on the clock, but Wight ended the quarter with back-to-back buckets to lift the Bees to a 28-25 halftime advantage.
Wight helped Box Elder to a 34-31 edge with four minutes left in the third. Harvey then took over, scoring 9 points during a 19-0 run and defending Wight to help the Redhawks to a 50-34 advantage with one frame to go.
"Wight's been a little terror since she was a ninth grader," said Burton, who called the adjustments equal-parts "attitude change," as well. "We put someone on her who had some decent length and can move pretty well, and tried to get her to make shots over her. Then once we changed back, she started scoring again."
Jocelyn Vranes cut the deficit to 61-51 with a 3-pointer with 1:10 remaining. But the Bees were held without a field goal until Kamri Andersen's jumper with 11 seconds left to help Bountiful finish the game.
Thurgood finished with 15 points and five rebounds for Box Elder.
No. 2 Wasatch 44, No. 22 Springville 34
In a region filled with defense, Wasatch girls basketball stood above the rest.
The Wasps' D stood above the fray again Tuesday night to fend off a region rival's surprise postseason run.
Peyton Benkhe poured in 20 points with four steals, and Wasatch held upstart Springville to just 11-of-44 shooting en route to a 44-34 win Tuesday in the other semifinal.
Ashley Garner added 7 points, 11 rebounds, three assists and four steals for the Wasps (21-5), who forced 16 steals and added five blocked shots.
"I think our defense was the key for us today," Wasatch coach Audrey Hull said. "I felt like our girls executed the gameplay defensively, and our defense has been something that has helped us all year. They really played great defense in the half court, and kept them from scoring too many threes."
After leading 22-17, the Wasps held Springville to a single layup before Anna Greenwell's corner trey capped a 10-0 run to take a 32-19 lead with 3:32 left in the third quarter.
Wasatch outscored the Red Devils 15-5 in the third quarter, including back-to-back buckets by Peyton Benkhe in the final minute, to begin to pull away 37-22.
"They always answer. This team battles, and teams might fight back," Hull said. "But then our girls get together and fight right back. I love going to battle with them because I know they're never going to give up the fight."
Sami DelLamas led Springville (8-18) with 11 points, five rebounds and two steals, and Brynlee Johnson added 9 points and five rebounds for the Red Devils.
