Three minutes before the Alta girls' basketball team's crucial late-season matchup against American Fork, Hayli Shurtz couldn't take the pain of a bruised tailbone she suffered during practice any longer and asked her coach to take her out of the game. She missed the next three.
The day before that game, senior Erin Foster learned she had suffered an MCL strain and would miss the rest of the season. The Hawks have missed her 10 points a game.
And during their regular-season finale against Brighton, Makenzi Morrison suffered whiplash while fighting for a jump ball and spent the entire fourth quarter lying on the bleachers with ice on her neck. She has also struggled with asthma-like symptoms for the majority of the season. Luckily, Morrison has managed to stay afloat.
But by the end of league play, the Hawks were tired. Their legs ached just walking down the hallway.
All just in time for what the Hawks hoped would be their most solid playoff push since 2004. Now, goals have changed.
"We're tired. We're beaten up. Every game has been a state tournament game," coach Kristi Jensen said. "It's just been one thing after another and it's been frustrating."
And it's a situation made more frustrating as they watched their boys' team secure a Region 4 title by wining six games by four points or less while they dropped four games by a similar margin.
"I wish we could have had as much luck," Jensen said. "American Fork was the only game we weren't in until the end, but a lot of games just didn't go our way."
The Hawks went from a region title favorite to a first-round underdog; from a state title favorite to a No. 4 playoff seed. After a 9-1 start, the Hawks lost six of their last 11 games.
It certainly wasn't how Alta had hoped the season would end, but the Hawks were never ready to call it a night.
Rather, Alta has found a silver lining amid its recent troubles. According to Shurtz, the team's injuries have forced the Hawks to shake up its system and strengthen the bench. It's made them stronger as a team. And it's put things into perspective.
"It's been tough. We've had to make some adjustments but we've had time to prepare for what's next," Shurtz said. "I think we've responded well."
Indeed.
On Saturday, the bruised and battered Hawks took on Cottonwood to earn a spot in the tournament and won, defeating the Colts 44-30. Morrison and senior Becca Beaudoin combined for 29 points in the win, demonstrating that the Hawks' firepower has remained intact.
But that high-octane offense -- powered by a small, but solid rotation of just five players -- faced its biggest test of the season against the staunch defense of No. 1-ranked Syracuse on Tuesday.
Heading into the game, the Hawks were cautiously optimistic. And they certainly had nothing to lose.
"We let some games slip so we take what we get now," Shurtz said. "We just can't let the emotions of the game and the crowd get to us. [Syracuse] is the ones who have everything to lose. We've got everything to gain."
But regardless of the final result, Alta has now matched its talent with newfound resiliency. And with only two seniors lost to graduation next season, the Hawks may be just getting started.
"They've really given it their all. They've played very well," Jensen said. "That's all a coach can ask for."
