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Orem • Beaver used a quick start and an effective inside-out game to defeat Summit Academy in the first round of the Class 2A girls' basketball state tournament Friday at Orem High School.

Beaver sophomore guard Sydnee Gillins had the hot hand early and scored seven points in the first quarter to help push her team ahead 16-4 in the period in the 57-33 win.

The Bears enjoyed a height advantage and sometimes used a full-court press, so the Beavers relied on better ball-handling to get around the defense.

"Since they're so tall, we focused on fronting them, providing help from the weak side and playing as a team," sophomore point guard Brittlyn Carter said.

Her fast hands also helped. She had five of her team's 12 steals in the contest, along with eight points and a pair of 3-pointers.

"It's my job to find the person who's open," Carter said. "If there's an opening, I'll drive. If I can't find somebody or take a shot, I kick it back out."

Senior wing Jacoy Christensen said that approach has been part of the team's style all season. She had a perfect night, hitting all six of her field-goal attempts and both of her free throws for a game-high 16 points.

"I felt like I needed to shoot," she said. "When we were dribble-penetrating, they were giving the ball to me because I was open."

Christensen made the other two 3-pointers for Beaver, but she said that anyone on the team could have contributed that way.

"We can all make them," she said. "We try to only take about a dozen 3s a game because we like to mix it up. But if those shots are open, we take them."

The Beavers were 4 of 9 from behind the arc in the game.

The Beavers' other advantage was a deep bench. Nine players scored, nine recorded an assist and 10 grabbed a rebound.

"We go 10-deep all the time," Carter said. "We play aggressive defense because we know that if we get in foul trouble, we have someone else we can put in." —

Beaver 57, Summit Academy 33

R Beaver improve to 15-6 and will face Layton Christian in the quarterfinals.

• Senior forward Chelsey Drury leads Beats with 14 points, shooting 50 percent from the floor.

• The Bears finish 10-13 overall after earning the No. 3 seed from Region 16.

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Class 2A playoffs

Scores

• North Summit 55, Millard 38

• North Sevier 68, Rowland Hall 28

• Kanab 45, Maeser Prep 31

• San Juan 58, Wasatch Academy 57, OT

• Beaver 57, Summit Academy 33

• Layton Christian 59, Gunnison Valley 40

• Emery 71, Waterford 20

• Enterprise 35, South Summit 28

Quarterfinals

at Sevier Valley Center

Thursday

4:10 p.m. • North Summit vs. North Sevier

5:50 p.m. • Kanab vs. San Juan

7:30 p.m. • Beaver vs. Layton Christian

9:10 p.m. • Emery vs. Enterprise