The Hive Sports

by James Tate

The Bonneville Lakers flipped the script on Tuesday night, going on the road and knocking off West Field 59–51 in the first round of the UHSAA girls’ basketball state tournament, just weeks after the Longhorns swept the regular‑season series in Region 5 play. Behind the poise and grit of junior guard Baja Jimenez and the clutch rebounds and free throws from Adisyn Stone, the Lakers delivered one of their most complete performances of the season to earn a spot in the second round.

Jimenez finished with 17 points and battled through injury to pace Bonneville. Still, the night belonged to West Field’s junior guard Meghan Peterson, who poured in a spectacular 30 points to keep the Longhorns within striking distance until the final minutes.

Bonneville set the tone early, racing to an 18–13 lead after the first quarter. Senior Charity McDonald opened the scoring with a three-pointer, and senior Ema Eskelson followed with another triple to make it 6–0. Peterson answered with a three-pointer of her own to ignite her huge night, and she finished the opening period with eight points. The Lakers countered with balanced scoring, Eskelson with six, senior Stacey Tesch with five, Jimenez with four, and McDonald with three, to maintain control.

Adisyn Stone

The second quarter belonged to the Lakers’ defense and to junior Brielle Francom, who delivered a crucial spark. Francom scored seven points in the final three minutes of the half, fueling a 9–0 run that pushed Bonneville’s lead to 31–17 at the break. The Lakers held West Field to just four points in the quarter, tightening the screws and seizing momentum.

Peterson’s surge fuels Longhorns’ comeback, but Lakers’ poise seals the win late

But the Longhorns refused to fold. Peterson erupted again in the third, scoring nine points as West Field clawed back into the game. Her shot-making, capped by a last‑second layup from senior Kylee Mueller, trimmed the deficit to 40–35 heading into the fourth and sent the Longhorns into the final period with belief.

Bonneville responded with the composure of a veteran team. Whitni Johnson and Jimenez buried back‑to‑back threes to open the fourth, stretching the lead to 46–35. After Longhorns sophomore Tee Munoz answered with a three-pointer for West Field, McDonald drilled another triple, and Stone added a free throw to push the margin back to 12 with under five minutes remaining.

Still, Peterson wasn’t done. She scored the Longhorns’ next nine points, and her deep three with 2:50 left cut the Lakers’ lead to 52–47. But Bonneville closed the door at the line, Stone and Jimenez knocked down clutch free throws in the final minutes, preventing West Field from getting any closer.

The Lakers held firm the rest of the way, securing the 59–51 win and a berth in the second round.

Tesch said the team’s mindset and defensive urgency played major roles in closing out a game in which every possession mattered.

“Our mentality throughout the game was just to leave it all out on the court,” Tesch said. “It was win or you’re done, and for us seniors, that hit especially hard. I feel like that carried us throughout the game, which upped our physicality, whether that was boxing out on rebounds, fighting for loose balls, or just going up strong on offense. With defense and trying to contain Peterson, it was all about our effort, like sprinting out on closeouts, sliding to help, and sprinting back in transition. We just need to up the intensity and our energy.”

Meghan Peterson

For West Field, Peterson’s 30‑point performance was the heartbeat of the Longhorns’ comeback effort, and afterward she reflected on both the night and the season.

“I think what worked for me tonight is just the pressure that a playoff game comes with,” Peterson said. “And playing for the seniors by giving my all to really help the team motivated me. The love I have for this team and the girls is infinite, and I am going to miss the seniors so much. I really didn’t know how many points I had up until the end. I just felt like, ‘Okay, I’m on right now,’ and kept shooting and pushing the floor. Unfortunately, we did come up short tonight, but I loved playing with this team, and we will get back to work soon to bring the heat next year.”

Bonneville’s win carried its own emotional weight, especially for a group that had been picked to finish last in Region 5. Eskelson said the victory was a culmination of belief, growth, and trust.

“It felt so rewarding,” Eskelson said. “We were voted to take last place in the region at the beginning of the year, and to win a playoff game felt so good, especially against somebody in our region. It also felt good because we had already lost to them twice this season. Our team has practiced so hard, and we knew that we could beat them. It was great to get that victory for our coaches, who I know have had faith in us the entire time and have put every waking moment into this season. Without them, we wouldn’t have made it this far. It was a full team victory today. Everyone on our team contributed so much to this game. I couldn’t be happier and prouder of our team, reflecting on the win and the season.”

photos courtesy of James Tate