By DENNIS LARSEN
Standard-Examiner staff
LAYTON — Despite getting outscored in each of the last three quarters plus having lone returning starter Addi Moore being a gametime decision with an injured thumb on her shooting hand, the Lancers still persevered in their league opener.
Layton High matched its season-high of six 3-pointers Tuesday, and fueled by a 15-point first quarter the Lancers held off Viewmont 46-43 in Region 1 girls basketball.
“Viewmont’s experience helped get them back in the game. This is the third year for a lot of their players,” Layton coach Van Price said. “We’re a young team and we panicked a little bit.
“We made everything difficult,” he said. “We missed shots, forced the offense a little bit and we tensed up somewhat. We need to relax and play. The good thing is we opened up with a win
Moore splashed in a game-high 17 points with two 3-pointers and Tenli Waters wound up with 10 points and two more 3s for the Lancers, who won their third consecutive game.
“The three other games were to prepare us for league, and now we have to get ready for Davis (on Friday),” Price said. “My challenge is to turn this young team into a veteran team.”
Moore jammed her right thumb during Monday’s practice and had X-rays taken later that night.
“She was a game-time decision,” Price said. “I was going to sit Addi if she didn’t think
she could go. I left it up to her; Addi said she could play.”
The Vikings tied the score 40-all with 2:47 remaining, but didn’t score again until Kailey Madsen’s 3-pointer with 9.2 seconds left.
Layton converted only 5-of-10 fourth-quarter free throws.
“My thumb was swollen up and really big,” said the 16-year-old Moore, who plays shooting guard. “It was our first region game and I didn’t want to leave the team hanging.
“I warmed up with my thumb taped and then took it off,” she said. “The tape was bugging me. It was hard to hold and grip the ball, and catching the ball hurt a lot. I have more flexibility now.”
Moore knows the Lancers depend on her in more ways than just scoring.
“We’re really young, so I came back this season expecting to be the leader,” she said. “We didn’t expect it to be this close, and we don’t want to overlook anybody. Viewmont
played me tighter than the other teams in preseason did.”
The Vikings had a potential game-tying basket negated by a traveling violation with 59.9 seconds remaining. Leah Ellertson scored a team-high 11 points for Viewmont.
“I don’t know how we won getting outscored in the last three quarters,” Moore said. “We had a lot of turnovers. Our defense and fast breaks are what we depend on a lot.”
