The Hive Sports

by James Tate

The Darts overcame a slow start and foul trouble to move past the American Fork Cavemen by a final score of 57-44. The win moves the Darts into the quarterfinals round of the 2024 6A Mountain America – Girls Basketball State Championships. The number two seed Darts will face the number seven seed Corner Canyon Chargers at the Jon M. Huntsman Center on the University of Utah campus.

First half

Darts sophomore guard and second-leading scorer T’Maea Eteuati picked up early fouls and sat out much of the first half. The Cavemen jumped out early with senior guard Callie Condie converting and three free throws after being fouled and making a three-point basket. The Cavemen led 6-2 before Eteuati and Avery Dain made short jumpers, followed by two free throws from Kendra Kitchen to put the Darts ahead 8-6 with 3:49 left in the first quarter.

With Eteuati out, freshman Kate Willard picked up the scoring with a layup and two free throws. The Cavemen scored on a free throw by Sarah Mathis and a layup from Kora Kennington to make the score 12-9 at the end of the first period.

The second quarter was all Darts, as a 7-0 run made the score 19-9 at the 6:20 mark. Senior guard Kate Richards started the run with a short jumper, Willard made a layup, and Kitchen finished the run with a three-point basket. Mathis ended the Dart run with a free throw to make the score 19-10.

The Darts heated up on the offensive end by outscoring the Cavemen 13-5 with 5:40 minutes left before halftime. Kitchen finished the first half with 13 points, followed by Willard, who scored six. Eteauti and Richards scored four points, Chloe Peery three, and Avery Dain two points. Before the half ended, Mathis made a buzzer-beating three-point basket to score 32-15. The defense was critical in the Darts’ lead as they blocked shots and converted on Cavemen turnovers.

Second half

The second half started much like the start of the game as Condie scored six quick points, this time with two three-point baskets. The score was 32-21 after the first two minutes, which forced the Darts to call a timeout. Dain responded for the Darts after the timeout and made a three-point basket, followed by two free throws from Kitchen for a 37-21 score. Kitchen and Willard made their presence felt inside with rebounding, tough defense, and scoring nine points in the quarter.

The Darts outscored the Cavemen 14-13 in the quarter, leading the Cavemen to Condie’s six points and Mathis’ three points. At the end of the third period, the score was 46-28, Darts.

Down by 18 to start the fourth quarter, the Cavemen made a fantastic effort to make it close, with Mathis making three baskets from beyond the arc and Leah Moeki scoring seven points. The Darts got balanced scoring from five players to close the game. Eteauti and Perry scored three points, and Richards, Kitchen, and Willard made a final free throw to make the final score 57-44.

Outstanding performances

Kitchen finished her final game on the Darts homecourt with 20 points. An emerging star, Willard finished with 11 points. Richards finished with six points, and her ability to keep the Darts on track offensively and defensively was vital. Dain contributed with five points.

The Cavemen saw Mathis score 17 points and Condie had 12 to close their season.

photos courtesy James Tate