Aliza Allred:
Her efforts led to a great
prep career
and almost resulted in
another title
By Bruce Smith
Matchup
Aliza Allred’s resume of high-school accomplishments
was lengthy.
As a junior, she was part of the Springville girls
basketball team’s 4A state championship team. She also went to Africa (Zambia)
with the Mothers Without Borders group.
As a senior, she was a finalist in the FFA Sweetheart
competition and later starred on the Springville softball team.
But her favorite memory was what the Red Devils’
basketball run this year. Despite averaging just 2.0 points per game, her
contribution may not have been recognizable to others, but …
“Aliza Allred was the heart of our team,” said coach
Nancy Warner.
Allred was a special player. She played last year, but
after the Red Devils lost seven seniors, including all-everything Lexi Eaton to
graduation, she stepped up.
Warner said she was an obvious choice for team captain
because the 5-foot-10 senior was a workhorse who helped everywhere on the
court.
“Just sitting the bench last year was helpful,” said
Allred. “I would have much rather been here than playing JV (junior varsity)
ball. I knew what coach Warner expected and was able to help the other girls.”
Springville started slowly, but came together at
midseason. The Devils won seven of their last nine Region 8 games and then
shocked everyone by reaching the 4A state championship game.
“That’s what meant the most to me,” she said. “Our team
was so close. When we played well together, it felt so good. Making it to the
state tournament was the best. It is something I’ll tell my kids about.”
In sports, defense is often responsible for winning
championships, and Allred was usually asked to play center and guard the
opponent’s tallest player. At the state tournament, it seemed Allred sometimes
got lost among the bigger players.
“They would come over my back (to try to get rebounds),
but I could usually beat them down the floor,” she recalled.“
She adjusted her game. What she didn’t have in talent she
made up with added resolve. Allred said she was upset that Springville had lost
to Timpview in its final home game on “Senior Night,” which was also her
birthday. She had her teammates had an added resolve at state and it led to a
win over top-ranked Cyprus in the opener and two more surprising victories.
“The thing I liked most about (going to state) was that
we were the underdog,” she said. “I had no doubt about it. It wasn’t a fluke to
us.”
“I had 19 fouls in the four (state) tournament games,”
she added, laughing. “I backed off in some games, but at state I went all out.”
That’s what was required for all the players for
Springville. Every team wanted to beat the Devils because they had won the last
two titles. The effort took a lot out of them, and that was apparent in the
championship finale against Timpanogos, which started at 11 a.m. after the
Devils defeated Mountain Crest 61-59 the night before.
The Mountain Crest win also avenged a 73-38 loss earlier
in the season. The Devils also rallied from a 13-point deficit. Allred said the
victory was the high point of the season and showed how far the team had come.
“That game was so great,” she said. “I fouled out with
five seconds left and watched the end from the bench. I felt sick, but it’s all
I could do.”
The foul prevented Mountain Crest’s Karlee Kartchner from
scoring, which would have tied the game, but it also sent Allred to the bench. With
the crowd screaming, including many members of the Allred family section, Kartchner
made 1-of-2 charity shots and Springville remained ahead. It ended up being a
decisive factor in the outcome.
“I watched it (the foul) later on film and I don’t know
how her shot didn’t go in,” she said. “I fouled her pretty hard, though,
because I didn’t want her to make it.”
It was that kind of effort that led to her long,
impressive resume and made this year a great memory for everyone on the team.
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