Heber City • The softball diamond beckons as spring approaches, especially for members of the Grantsville team, which won a state championship last season.
But the bats and gloves will have to wait for juniors Hannah Butler and Addison Smith.
The reason? Basketball.
That’s where the Cowboys are starting to build a program that could contend for state titles on the hardwood in the near future.
In fact, that future could be very near.
The third-ranked Grantsville squad opened its postseason Friday by walloping Manti 58-30.
“I’m liking the gym right now,” Butler said.
Smith added: ”I think I’m just focused on basketball. I still go to the [softball] stuff, but basketball is my main focus.”
Butler, a 5-foot-11 post player, actually is a three-sport standout — she takes to the volleyball in the fall. But she said basketball was taking a prominent place in her mind even before she made the transition from volleyball to basketball this school year.
“Basketball has been the main priority with me. It’s just in focus,” Butler said. “I feel like, right now, I’ve had to embrace a leadership role with basketball, and it’s going to be the same with softball.”
On the softball field, Butler plays a position known for leadership in that sport — shortstop. She hit .363 and slugged six home runs for the Cowboys last season after playing in the outfield her freshman year.
Butler also switched positions on the basketball court, made necessary by graduation losses.
“She’s an all-around player,” Grantsville basketball coach Megan Vera said. “Last year, we played her at the guard position more, and we lost some posts. She’s been put into a new role this year, and she’s embraced it. She’s one of those players who could play one through five and get the job done.”
The game against the Templars got out of hand quickly, and Butler, the team’s leading scorer in the regular season, played sporadic minutes and tallied six points.
No player on the Grantsville hoops squad is averaging double-figures in scoring. Butler is the closest at a 9.9 points-per-game clip on a team with only two seniors and several promising players that are sophomores or freshmen.
(Eric Butler | For The Tribune) Addison Smith, Grantsville High.
Smith came off the bench Friday to battle in the post and finished with seven points.
Both Smith and Butler were regulars on the Cowboys softball squad that won the Class 3A title, with Smith contributing four home runs while playing outfield and pitcher.
“We feel really confident,” Butler said. “Last year, we kind of came into the tournament really unsure because it had been awhile. This year, we feel like we’ve really earned our place in the tournament. We’re confident and excited.”
In the fourth quarter of Grantsville’s win over Manti, the public address announcer first rang out the words “Smith from Butler” then “Butler from Smith” on consecutive baskets that pushed the lead to 33 points.
Finding each other for scores is the result of hard work and plenty of experience, the pair said.
“We practice all the time, and we always feed off of each other,” Butler said.
Smith said: ”We’ve played since seventh grade with each other, so we just click. Basketball and softball.”
When the Class 3A basketball tournament resumes next week in St. George, Grantsville will take on South Sevier in a state quarterfinal game.
“I think they’re in the moment right now,” Vera said. “They’re winners at heart, and it’s just kind of the mentality that they have. No matter what they’re doing, they’re giving it their all. It’s just what they do.”
GRANTSVILLE 58, MANTI 30 <br>• Grantsville rolls to a 24-3 lead when the Cowboys begin mass substituting three minutes into the second quarter. <br>• Sophomore Ashlee Edwards scores 11 points to pace the Cowboys, while Manti’s Aurianna Squire finished with 12 points. <br>• Madison Fields, a junior, and ninth-grader Maison White also score nine points apiece for Grantsville.
