SPANISH FORK-   One of the biggest rivalries in girls high school sports made a comeback as the Springville Red Devils and Spanish Fork Dons returned to the basketball court on Friday night.

Yes, the two teams have been scheduling each other in the preseason during the past few years when they found themselves in different conferences, but the feeling is just not the same as when you're in a heated Region 8 battle against a vaunted foe and an old-time rival.

And the intensity could be felt stronger than ever on both sides of the court despite the fact the Red Devils came into the game undefeated and the Dons entered their gym with a less-than-stellar 4-8 record.

The Red Devils had to put up a huge battle against their cross county rivals, eventually winning the game 74-61 by pulling away at the end.

"Spanish Fork is a very good team. We played a great game, and we pushed the ball," said Springville coach Nancy Warner, who is thrilled with her squad's great team play.

In a bit of a surprise, the two teams were tied midway through the third quarter at 42-42, and Spanish Fork made a bit of a comeback after finding itself down 66-50, bringing it back to a 68-60 game with two minutes remaining and the Dons on a bit of a roll.

But once again the Red Devils willed a momentum switch and extended the lead, pulling further away for the finish in fine fashion.

"We had a complete game from everyone. We gave 100 percent effort, and it takes a whole team effort against a good team like Spanish Fork," said Warner.

During the team effort, Lexi Eaton scored her usual huge number of points as she sunk 29, but she did it in an understated way through much of the game, and she had plenty of help from Sadie Clements on the scoring front as she finished with 17 points.

But it was Mackenzie Nielson who had perhaps the most intriguing play of the game as she pulled down three offensive rebounds on one play, finishing with 12 rebounds, six of them offensive, in addition to her 10 total points.

"Rebounding is effort. It's wanting the ball and giving everything to go after it," said Warner.

And once again, as it has all season, her team gave plenty of effort in grabbing the boards.

Eaton picked up six rebounds and Jessica Jensen five rebounds in addition to her 10 points after blocking 10 shots in the team's game against Riverton earlier this season.

Four Red Devils finished in double digits as they continue to prepare for a solid run at a state title.

The Dons put three players in double figures and were led by Erin Redd with 22 points, even though the senior was in foul trouble and riding the bench for large portions of the night.

Haileigh Emerine also put in a great effort down low, grabbing rebounds and putting in 17 points for the Dons. Shea Johnson finished with 14 points, all of them coming in the first half.

"We just want to keep getting better every day, to take baby steps forward. There's always room for improvement," noted Warner after her team's 11th win of the year against no losses.