Green River girls down Tabiona, Grand County and Duchesne

By ROYD HATT Guest Writer

The Green River Lady Pirates basketball team has been very busy over the past two weeks, playing five games and improving their record to an impressive 7-3 on the season. The Pirates first traveled to Tabiona to take on the Tigers on their home floor. This game was thought to be quite a test as the Pirates had pulled off a four point win in the previous week when playing the Tigers on a neutral floor.Tabiona is always just a bit tougher to beat on their home turf.
The Pirates came out however, like a well oiled machine and took control of the game from the start to win easily 47-30. Green River was dominant on both ends of the court being led by the only senior, Megan Hatt. Hatt had perhaps her most complete game of her career, coming up with 19 points on 50 percent shooting, nine rebounds, five assists and seven steals. Michaela Hughes ended with 10 points and 12 rebounds, while Jamie Johnson put up 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Feleisha Antillion scored six points and on the defensive end, Antillion and Sydney Thayn held the Tigers leading scorer to less than half her season average, crippling the Tabiona offense.
The Pirates then hosted their first home game of the season against the Manti Templars. Green River came out and looked very sharp again, but in the first quarter, Megan Hatt landed on an opponents foot and severely sprained her ankle. She will be out for several weeks.This changed the things that the Pirates normally do and took some adjusting for Coach Parsons and the players.
It took the team awhile to adjust to their new line ups and they got down by 14 in the third quarter. By the fourth quarter the Pirates were adjusting rapidly and pulled to within eight when the final buzzer sounded. Jamie Johnson led the way, shooting a ridiculous 7-8 from the field and finishing with 16 points, eight boards and three blocks. Michaela Hughes was big again with 10 points, 14 boards and four blocks.
Green River next took to the road again to face the San Juan Broncos. The Pirates shot the ball well in this game, going 13-27 from two point land and 5-15 from beyond the arch. Turnovers plagued the team however and the ladies in green found themselves in a double digit deficit in the third.
In the fourth quarter Feleisha Antillion found the range and bombed three consecutive threes. Despite closing the gap, the Pirates fell 45-53. Jamie Johnson had an outstanding game with 18 points,12 boards, two steals and two blocks. Antillion ended with 12 points and six assists, while Hughes tallied 10 points and six rebounds.
By Dec. 16 the Pirates were finding their stride and easily defeated the Grand County Red Devils 49-23. Hughes led the team, shooting a great 8-12 from the field, on her way to 19 points and 11 boards. Jamie Johnson had 14 points and 11 boards. All seven varsity players got in on the scoring as Antillion had five, Sydney Thayn four, Hanna Manalilli three and Taylor Johnson and Kira Engleman ended with two each.
In the fifth game of this two week stint the Pirates hosted the Duchesne Eagles. This was a seesaw battle back and forth for the entire game. Green River showed great composure in the end and came up with an exciting victory, 40-38. Hughes had a huge game scoring 20 on 10-13 shooting, with 10 boards, two steals and three blocks. Jamie Johnson scored eight and had four assists two steals and two blocks. Sydney Thayn had two buckets which came at critical times in the game and Taylor Johnson pulled down nine boards. This was a great team effort and a great win for the Pirates who now host Piute on Dec. 22 before the Christmas break.