Bountiful • There isn’t much Viewmont High senior Mercedes Staples can’t do on a basketball court.
While she paced the Vikings with 23 points Wednesday night in a 56-41 win over Region 5 rival Roy, it should come as no surprise that perhaps her best effort of the night came at the defensive end.
“Defensively, she was amazing at the end of the game,” Viewmont coach Clint Straatman said. “She played defense on their post [Roy 6-foot-5 senior Josie Williams]. She loves to play defense on their post and does it very well. She is as good defensively as anyone can be when she wants to be.”
Still, the future Clemson Tiger gave the Vikings a spark at the offensive end in the opening period, and Roy wasn’t able to recover.
Staples scored seven points in the first eight minutes to help the Vikings take a 17-13 lead into the second stanza. Her seven points included a 3-pointer in the final seconds to give Viewmont the four-point cushion.
“Yeah, we came out sharp,” Staples said. “We knew we wanted to win this one so we could move on.”
Staples added eight points in the second period to help Viewmont claim a 38-27 lead at halftime.
“She’s the player of the year,” Straatman said. “I guarantee it. If they don’t give it to her, they are making a big mistake. She does so many things this team needs not just scoring wise, passing the ball, passing the ball to who needs it.”
Staples added another eight points in the third, including a length-of-the-court drive for a layup as time expired.
The victory ran the Vikings’ winning streak to 13 games, dating back to a loss to Northridge on Nov. 22.
“Playing together and just being a team,” Staples said about the team’s success. “And not being selfish and shooting the ball when we have it.”
Williams finished with 20 points for Roy, but she managed only a pair of free throws in the fourth when Staples was guarding her. The Roy senior entered Wednesday’s contest averaging 25.9 points.
“She’s a good player,” Straatman said. “She can score when she gets the ball where she wants it. We tried to make it difficult for her when we could.”
VIEWMONT 56, ROY 41 <br>• Viewmont senior Mercedes Staples finishes with 23 points, eight assists and eight rebounds in the win. <br>• The victory moves the Vikings’ winning streak to 13 games. <br>• Josie Williams leads Roy with 20 points.
