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Taylorsville • Sky View's Lindsey Jensen did not let Springville continue its Class 4A girls' basketball state tournament magic.
The star for the unbeaten and top-ranked Bobcats poured in 32 points to lead her team to a 63-53 victory over the two-time defending champion Red Devils.
Springville might have entered this tournament as a fourth seed. But the Red Devils were not an ordinary fourth-place squad. They had won four of the past five state titles and played in seven straight championship games coming into this first round.
"We knew it wasn't going to be easy," said Sky View coach Kimber Hall. "They are very good and playing in what is the toughest region in the state. We knew we would have a battle. I was pleased our girls hung in there, even though we were down in the first quarter. Our girls don't have any quit in them."
That was especially true of Jensen, who did a little bit of everything. Every time Springville made a run, and the Red Devils made several in the second half, the senior seemed to come up with a big play. She hit 14 of 15 from the line.
"You saw Lindsey tonight," said Hall. "You saw the rebounds. You saw the steals. She's not just a shooter. She plays defense. … She's an all-around player."
Jensen said she usually doesn't shoot that many free throws in a game.
"I was not more aggressive," she said. "I have lots of confidence on the court for the whole team. We are not even looking at our record now. It was hard. They brought it to us, for sure. We brought our 'A' game."
Springville, which was led by Lydia Austin with 22 and Savannah Sumsion with 16, took an early 10-5 lead before Jensen took over. She keyed a rally that gave the Bobcats a 22-15 halftime lead.
Springville used a 15-5 rally to come to within two with 3:13 left in the third quarter, but Sky View righted itself to maintain a double-digit lead much of the fourth quarter.
Red Devils coach Cami Oakey said this loss would be devastating for her team, which has played under the pressure of living up to past squads all season.
"We have to learn from it," she said. "We have to play under pressure. The girls last year were very good at it. These girls are going to have to step into those shoes. It's a good experience for them. But being in the championship game for seven straight years, you never stop hearing about it. You never stop hearing getting asked if you are going to three-peat. But there are different girls every single time with their own identity and their own team."
Oakey said turnovers were an issue for the Red Devils, and called Jensen an incredible player.
"We made some runs, but we were undersized," she said.
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More coverage
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Tuesday's 4A scores
• Mountain View 54, Highland 49 • Salem Hills 43, Roy 34 • Sky View 63, Springville 53 • Murray 49, Clearfield 46 • Maple Mountain 55, Bonneville 44 • Bountiful 59, Olympus 47 • Skyline 42, Judge 37 (OT)
• Timpview 35, Logan 22
Thursday's games
At Salt Lake Community College, Redwood Campus
• Skyline vs. Timpview, 9:30 a.m.
• Maple Mountain vs. Bountiful, 11:10 a.m. • Sky View vs. Murray, 12:50 p.m. • Mountain View vs. Salem Hills, 2:30 p.m.