The 3A State Tournament consists of all the top teams from Regions 13-15, which comprises all teams in the 3A classification. Region winners are awarded one seeds and will match up against teams that finished at the bottom of other regions. Runners-up will get second seeds and play the second from the bottom teams and so on. Tiebreakers were decided by head-to-head matchups and then a coin flip.
You can watch all games LIVE on ETV Channel 10 and online.
Opening Round – Saturday, Feb. 16 at Orem High School
Ensuing Rounds – Feb. 21-23 in Richfield at the Sevier Valley Center
No. 1 Seeds
EMERY (21-0, 12-0 Region 15) – The defending champs have had an impressive season going undefeated with little resistance. Anchored by six seniors that have been there, done that, it is difficult to find any holes in this Spartan team that is ranked fourth in the state over all classifications. The Lady Spartans average 69 points, 34 rebounds, 15 assists and 13 steals per game. Led by Megan Jensen, a force down low, and the Toomer girls, Kacelyn and Kinlee, Emery can beat teams in the paint and beyond the arc. The trio averaged 17, 13 and 11 points, respectively, per game over the entirety of the season.
The biggest question mark going into the tournament for Emery is how the Lady Spartans will respond in a close contest. Will they fold or persevere? The question illustrates how dominate Emery has been over the year. Beaver gave Emery the closest scare this year when the Lady Spartans edged Beaver 35-31 in the Spartan Center in mid-December. Will Emery continue to find ways to win and defend its state title?
CARBON (18-2, 11-0 Region 14) – The relatively young Lady Dinos ran through the competition in Region 14 and clinched region a few weeks ago. Carbon’s greatest strength is its ability to score from many different avenues. As the season went along, it seemed that a different Lady Dino led the team in scoring from night to night. From Noyes (Sr) to Bianco (Jr) to Saccomanno (Jr) to Blanc (So), these Lady Dinos can find the bottom of the bucket. They averaged 13, 11, nine and nine points, respectively, per game. Carbon averaged 54 points, 30 rebounds 14 assists and 16 steals per match. The Lady Dinos might be just as strong on defense as they are on offense, disrupting passes and the overall timing of opposing teams.
Will the young Lady Dino team be ready for the upcoming challenges? Will they continue to disrupt team’s offenses when they play the likes of teams like Richfield, Grantsville and/or Emery? Carbon may have to defeat all three of those teams to become state champions.
GRANTSVILLE (18-3, 8-0 Region 13)- Grantsville might be the most battle-tested team in the whole tournament. The Cowboy’s preseason was chuck full of 4A teams and above. Grantsville beat five 4A teams and one 6A team on its way to a 10-3 preseason. In its three losses, the Cowboys fell to Stansbury (4A), East (5A) and Cedar City (4A) all on the road. East is currently ranked fifth overall is state and Cedar City went undefeated on the year and is ranked second in state. Will Grantsville be able to use its experience of competing against tough teams to advance through the tournament?
The Cowboys are led by Fields (Sr), Edwards (Jr), Butler (Sr) and White (So) who average 13, 10, 10 and nine points per game. Grantsville is averaging 56 points, 33 rebounds, 13 assists and 13 steals per game.
Sleepers
SOUTH SEVIER (17-5, 9-3 Region 15)- The South Sevier Lady Rams are somewhat under the radar after grabbing the third seed in Region 15 following a coin flip. Led by Jones (Jr), Jenson (Sr) and Blackburn (Sr), the trio averaged 16, 12 and 10 points per game. The Lady Rams are on a collision course with Grantsville in the second round and could provide trouble for the Cowboys and anyone else they face in the tournament.
RICHFIELD (13-9, 9-3 Region 15)- Richfield has shown the ability to play with anyone, beating South Sevier in overtime and playing Emery tough at home. The Lady Wildcats outscored the Lady Spartans in the second half in Castle Dale but could not overcome their early deficit.
JUDGE MEMORIAL (12-8, 5-3 Region 13)- The Judge Memorial Lady Bulldogs are an extremely young team led by three freshmen. Sidberry, Tarver and Collins led the team, averaging 22, 15 and 11 points per game, respectively. The Lady Bulldogs average 60 points, 36 rebounds 10 assists and 14 steals per game. 60 points per game is good enough for second highest among all teams in the tournament. Judge Memorial scores at such a high clip due to its 39% field goal percentage on the season. The Lady Bulldogs can shoot with anyone in the tournament.
