Murray girls search for consistency

For Murray High’s girls basketball team, there is nowhere else to go but up.

The Spartans, who have gone 10-32 over the previous two seasons combined, hope balanced scoring and a renewed focus on defense make up for their weaknesses on the court. Through at least one game, that strategy appears to be a work in progress.

Murray opened the season with a 45-31 loss to Northridge on Nov. 22, scoring in single digits in each of the first three quarters. The Spartans trailed 10-3 in the first quarter and 23-11 at halftime before pulling within 29-20 at the end of the third quarter. Irma Agovic paced the Spartans with seven points, Jordan Strah had six points and Alyse Horton, Kayla Durfey and Sofia Goeckeritz each had five.

Murray, which has lost its first 10 games in each of the last two seasons, finished 2-19 overall and 2-10 in 5A’s Region 2 last season. The Spartans were outscored 52-36 on average.

Candace Prestwich, who led the team with 11 points per game and earned honorable mention all-state, has since graduated. Prestwich earned a scholarship to Southern Idaho Junior College. Brittany Golder averaged nine points per game, Horton and Jillian Campbell each averaged four points and Agovic contributed two points per game in limited duty.

The move to 4A’s Region 7 this year didn’t appear to do Murray any favors. The Spartans will now compete against Westlake, Herriman, Olympus, Skyline and Hillcrest in region action. Olympus (Region 6) and Skyline (Region 2) won their respective regions last season, while Westlake finished 10-13 and advanced to the 4A tournament in just its second year of existence.

The Spartans were scheduled to play at East on Nov. 29, followed by games at Clearfield (Dec. 2) and Copper Hills (Dec. 6).