The Hive Sports

by James Tate

The Bonneville Lakers girls’ basketball team rode a barrage of three-pointers and a decisive third-quarter surge to a 51–35 Region 5 road win over the Roy Royals on Wednesday night. Bonneville knocked down 10 threes in the victory, including three apiece from seniors Charity McDonald and Whitni Johnson and junior Baya Jimenez. The Lakers’ shooting, paired with a 17–8 run in the third quarter, proved to be the difference as they kept Roy at arm’s length throughout the second half.

Roy countered with strong perimeter shooting of its own, hitting seven threes, led by senior Jazzi Prieto, who connected on three. But Bonneville’s edge came from its activity on both ends. The Lakers generated numerous second‑chance opportunities through offensive rebounds and used dribble penetration to collapse the defense, freeing up shooters and earning 13 free‑throw attempts. Roy, by contrast, attempted just one.

Bonneville showed its experience early, racing out to a 16–2 lead in the opening minutes behind Johnson’s trio of first‑quarter threes. Senior True James finally put the Royals on the board with a layup at the 4:40 mark, and senior Martha Willis added another just before the buzzer with 3 seconds. However, Bonneville still closed the first quarter with a 16–4 lead.

Roy responded with its strongest stretch of the night in the second quarter, outscoring Bonneville 11–5 to claw back into the game. The Royals found their rhythm from deep, getting three-pointers from Prieto, Willis, and Lily Perez to cut into the margin. Bonneville steadied itself late in the half and carried a 21–15 advantage into the locker room.

Adisyn Stone (l) Jazzi Prieto (r)

Second half: Bonneville answers every push

Roy opened the third quarter with momentum as Prieto drilled an early three-pointer to pull the Royals within three, 21–18, their closest margin since the opening minutes. But Bonneville answered with composure and firepower. McDonald and senior Ema Eskelson buried back‑to‑back threes, and Eskelson added a layup to push the lead to 29–18 at the 6:05 mark.

Every time Roy threatened, the Lakers had an answer, using timely shooting and defensive pressure to rebuild separation. Bonneville closed the quarter on another surge and carried a 38–23 lead into the fourth.

The final period saw the Lakers continue to dictate the pace, controlling the boards and tightening the defensive screws to prevent any late Roy push. Senior Adisyn Stone sealed the win with a pair of late layups, stretching the margin to 51–35 and securing a key Region 5 victory for Bonneville.

Johnson and McDonald led the Lakers with 11 points each, while Jimenez added nine. Roy was paced by Prieto’s 11 points and five assists, with Willis contributing eight points. Senior Eva Reed anchored the Royals defensively, finishing with seven rebounds and five steals.

Baya Jimenez

photos courtesy of James Tate