Springville's Lexi Eaton could have a new nickname on her hands -- Santa.
Eaton gave out points to the Red Devil faithful like they were Christmas presents in an overstuffed sack, scoring 32 points as the Red Devil girls basketball team outlasted the Cavemen 51-49 on Friday at Springville.
American Fork had a shot at the buzzer after Grace Farnsworth landed on a loose ball to give position back to the Cavemen with 4.4 seconds on the clock. But Farnsworth's 3-point heave at the buzzer fell harmlessly short, giving Springville the win.
"That almost gave me a heart attack," said Springville coach Nancy Warner's husband, taking over coaching duties after coach Nancy had a baby the day before. "We made the last play and that's how it ended up. We were fortunate to be on the right side of that."
Springville's Eaton was unstoppable most of the night, at one point scoring 18 of 22 points during the course of the second half.
Down by a point with 1:24 left in the game, American Fork's Hayley Su'a-Filo missed two crucial free throws. On the ensuing position, Eaton took the ball for Springville at halfcourt, taking it on a drive inside going left, and converting the layup for a three-point Red Devil lead with 55 seconds remaining, setting up the Cavemen's final possession.
After Springville held a seven-point lead at halftime, American Fork came out strong, holding the Red Devils to just four points in the entire third quarter, going up 35-31.
But Eaton stepped up and hit the only 3-pointer of the night for either team, putting Springville up again, 37-35. In addition to 32 points, Eaton added five steals and three rebounds.
"We got punched in the mouth and we kind of got them back," Warner said. "I told them, you let a great team like American Fork hang around, then it's going to bite you. But they kept their composure. They made plays at the right time, that's what it came down to."
American Fork was led by Farnsworth's 15 points and Makenzie Moeai's 12-point output, but foul trouble seriously hindered the Cavemen on the offensive end. Farnsworth's fourth foul late in the third quarter killed momentum and gave Springville an opening.
"Getting in foul trouble early I thought was a huge, huge difference for us," said American Fork head coach Corey Clayton. "Not being able to have Lai and Grace on the floor was hard. They are such threats on the floor offensively and to have them off the floor hurt us."
The Red Devils' Sadie Clements scored five points, including the go-ahead basket with 1:38 remaining. Jessica Jensen, celebrating her birthday, added seven points, eight rebounds and two blocks for Springville.
Laini Kalumbi scored eight points and had four rebounds for American Fork, while Su'a-Filo finished with four points and four rebounds.
"The effort was there all night," Clayton said. "When we had our best five out there I thought we were every bit as good if not better than Springville. I think we're going to be good. After tonight, I'm not worried about our team."
