CEDAR CITY — Good free throw shooting and a stingy defense helped Cedar HIgh put together a 12-0 run in the second quarter that gave the Lady Reds the lead for good in a 43-29 win over Carbon Thursday night in the 3A state quarterfinals at SUU’s Centrum Arena.
A four-point play by Lisa Ballenger didn’t hurt, either.
Ballenger, a junior guard for the 14-10 Lady Reds, lined up a trey with her team ahead 13-9 and 3:20 left in the second quarter. As she released the high-arching shot, she was pounded by a Carbon defender and hit the deck hard.
“I never saw it go in. I was on the floor,” Ballenger said. “I’ve never had a four-point play before.”
Cedar actually had trailed 7-6 beginning the second quarter and the game was tied at 9-9 with less than a minute gone from the period. That’s when the Lady Reds got hot.
“We just needed to settle down, get comfortable with the setting,” Cedar coach John Elison said. “We felt like our defensive intensity was there. Javlyn Weaver played a great game. We had her for eight rebounds and she played a great defensive game.”
The 12-0 run put Cedar up 21-9 late in the first half. Carbon got a three-point play by Jordan Scoggins with under two minutes to go to cut it to 21-12 at intermission.
The Lady Dinos fought back and got the deficit to within five a couple of times in the second half, but never any closer.
Weaver finished with a team-high 13 points and hit a 3-pointer in both the second and third quarters. Ballenger had 10 points as did Courtney Morley.
All three players made free throws in the fourth quarter to keep the Dinos at bay.
Cedar now plays Region 9 nemesis Desert Hills in the semifinals at 2:30 p.m. Friday afternoon at the Centrum. The winner will play for the state title Saturday at 5 p.m.
3A State Tournament Girls Bracket
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Lisa Ballenger-3A State Playoffs, Cedar City, Utah, Feb. 27, 2014 | Photo by Robert Hoppie, St. George News
Cedar's Amanda Manley brings the ball up the court against Carbon during the 3A State Playoffs, Cedar City, Utah, Feb. 27, 2014 | Photo by Robert Hoppie, St. George News
Cedar guard Courtney Morley puts up a shot against Carbon during the 3A State Playoffs, Cedar City, Utah, Feb. 27, 2014 | Photo by Robert Hoppie, St. George News
Cedar's Javlyn Weaver blocks a shot against Carbon during the 3A State Playoffs, Cedar City, Utah, Feb. 27, 2014 | Photo by Robert Hoppie, St. George News
McKenna Collins fights toward the basket for Cedar during the 3A State Playoffs, Cedar City, Utah, Feb. 27, 2014 | Photo by Robert Hoppie, St. George News
Cedar's McKenna Collins fights for a loose ball against Carbon during the 3A State Playoffs, Cedar City, Utah, Feb. 27, 2014 | Photo by Robert Hoppie, St. George News
Javlyn Weaver-3A State Playoffs, Cedar City, Utah, Feb. 27, 2014 | Photo by Robert Hoppie, St. George News
Makayla Carrington-3A State Playoffs, Cedar City, Utah, Feb. 27, 2014 | Photo by Robert Hoppie, St. George News
Courtney Morley-3A State Playoffs, Cedar City, Utah, Feb. 27, 2014 | Photo by Robert Hoppie, St. George News
Courtney Morley brings the ball up for Cedar against Carbon during the 3A State Playoffs, Cedar City, Utah, Feb. 27, 2014 | Photo by Robert Hoppie, St. George News
Videocast by Bryce Griffin, and Amber Green, St. George News
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