Taylorsville » Efficient. No word better described the Taylorsville girls' basketball team's steady progress toward a 52-38 win over Cottonwood in a preseason matchup on Thursday night.
For three quarters, that is.
The Colts stepped up their defensive pressure in the final quarter, forcing steals, driving hard to the basket and drawing fouls along the way -- a revised strategy that held the Warriors scoreless through a nearly five-minute span. A string of eight consecutive free throws gave the Colts a late opportunity to climb back into the mix.
But the damage was already done and the Warriors (6-0) fended off the charge and held on to remain undefeated on the season.
"That was like Cinderella's sister -- just ugly," Taylorsville coach Jace Hymas said of the fourth quarter. "To Cottonwood's credit, they changed up the defense and moved up in our face."
Until the final quarter, the Warriors dominated the pace of the game, consistently out-hustling the Colts to create second- and third-chance opportunities -- most of which they were able to convert on. In the first half, 6-foot-3 junior Brooke Slade squashed Cottonwood's offensive efforts at every turn, getting her hand on eight blocks and scooting past defenders to create easy scoring opportunities for herself and sophomore guard Whitney Mitchell, who finished with 17 points.
But after steadily building up a 20-point lead heading into the final quarter, the Warriors lost their rhythm.
"We saw a big lead and started just believing that lead," Hymas said. "We started to play selfish until they pressured us. Then no one wanted to shoot or drive."
Still, the win was progress. Taylorsville will face the biggest threat to its perfect start when it faces Alta in a battle of undefeated teams next Friday.
"We're very young. The start has been a nice surprise," Hymas said.
(Chris Detrick /The Salt Lake Tribune)
Taylorsville's Whitney Mitchell, left, gets a leaner off against Cottonwood's Jewel Peterson during the first half of Friday's game.
(Chris Detrick /The Salt Lake Tribune)
Taylorsville's Brooke Slade, center, and Cottonwood's Jessica Williams, left, fight for a loose ball Friday.
