High school girls basketball: Lone Peak gets dominant bounceback win over American Fork

Lone Peak opened Region 3 play looking like the clear region favorite. It started 4-0 and looked like it could sweep the region.

What the Knights didn’t expect was a shocking 52-49 loss to Corner Canyon on Friday. The Chargers have struggled more than most 6A teams and stand with a 4-16 total record.

Lone Peak was eager to bounce back from that loss, and that’s exactly what it did Tuesday as it dominated American Fork 58-35.

“I think for us, it’s just the ability to bounce back and to show up for the next one,” said Lone Peak head coach Nancy Warner. “I think that’s what this team showed us. Their response after our last game, and especially coming into tonight, is knowing that we have three more region games to play and staying focused in the moment, focusing on this one.”

The Knights built their lead on the defensive side of the ball while American Fork struggled to even establish its half-court offense. Lone Peak’s early full-court press and zone defense forced 12 Cavemen turnovers in the first half.

American Fork was also held to only two points in the second quarter as the Knights built a 28-9 lead.

“That really set the tone from the beginning,” Warner said. “Holding American Fork to nine first-half points is a huge team effort. We just pride ourselves on our talking and ability to just pick up and be there for each other. So, whether it’s our on-ball pressure or being able to shift and rotate the way that we want to, I think our press stifled them a little bit, and that was a big difference in the first half.”

American Fork finally got its offense going in the second half, but Lone Peak matched or outscored them the entire rest of the way. Knights’ Lave Holdcraft led the way with 15 points, including seven in the third quarter.

The focus never dropped for the Knights, even when they were up by nearly 20 points. When Lone Peak struggled in the fourth with a few careless turnovers, it jumped right back to get high-quality shots and regrow its lead.

Charli Warner and Peyton Warner helped keep the Knights’ strong lead intact after the turnovers. Charli Warner scored eight in the fourth, while Peyton Warner added five.

“I think it’s just, they’re prepared,” said coach Warner. “They know what to do, and it’s making sure that they’re trusting each other to be able to execute what we’ve worked on in practice. I think it just showed that they trusted what needed to be done, the play call that was called, and just being available for each other.”

Lone Peak has only two region games left, and its destiny is fully in its own hands. A win against Skyridge on Friday would guarantee an outright Region 3 title.