TOP 5 UTAH 4A GIRLS SCORING LEADERS TO START BASKETBALL SEASON

Some High School squads at the 4A level have played six games, some have played two, but regardless of current preseason records, Basketball season is officially underway and in full swing.

With every 4A team delivering a small sample size of what we can expect, this is a good time to check in on who’s starting the year red hot.

Remember kids, scoring isn’t everything, but it certainly helps win ball games. Let see who’s doing it at the highest level a handful of games into the preseason.

DISCLAIMER 

This top 5 list is strictly based upon points per game scoring and NOT a list of current top 5 players or performers.

This list is purely based on PPG, but it can be skewed this early in the season due to the number of games played.

There are plenty of athletes who have scored more total points behind more games early on.

Check this link from MaxPreps for a complete list of top scorers in the 4A classification: https://www.maxpreps.com/ut/basketball/girls/23-24/division/class-4a/stat-leaders/scoring/ppg/?statedivisionid=ab93d685-062b-424a-a25d-c37c80797441

* Statistics Via MaxPreps and Deseret News

Honorable Mention:

Addison Crandall, Hurricane: 16.2 PPG, 49 percent shooting in six games.

Jenna Brown, Desert Hills: 14.7 PPG, 49 percent shooting in 3 games.

5. Janalynn Blotter, Green Canyon Wolves

Janalynn kicks things off 5 games into the season by putting up averages of 19.2 PPG on 65 percent shooting overall for the Wolves who have raced out to a 4-1 record.

The Wolves are the only 4A team to put up more than 300 points at this moment in the season and Blotter is a key cog in that.

On the road in Alta, Blotter paced the Wolves by scoring 21 in a Green Canyon win.

A game later at Corner Canyon, Janalynn upped her game by netting 22 in a hard-fought loss. Both games saw her rip down 5 boards.

Blotter only had 12 come game three, but that was a byproduct of a 23-4 first quarter and a blowout victory in Stansbury, meaning she likely wasn’t on the floor much.

A similar situation occurred the next time out when the Wolves raced past Box Elder 65-38 in which Blotter chipped in 14.

When the competition got tighter against Morgan, Blotter secured a season high 25 points with 5 rebounds and 4 steals in the Wolves win.

If Green Canyon has their schedule tighten up in terms of tight ball games, you will only see Blotter’s numbers grow this year after already having a superb start to the year.

4. Mia AuClaire, Murray Spartans

Murray is 5 games in to the season with more wins than losses sitting at 3-2.

It didn’t begin as such as the Spartans have rallied off three straight victories after an 0-2 start.

The winning has been in line with Mia AuClaire, who has yet to score less than 20 since starting the year with 13-point night in a loss to Alta.

The following games have seen constant steady scoring output from the Murray guard averaging 19.6 PPG and 3.6 three pointer’s a contest.

In the defeat at Cyprus, AuClaire hit 4 triples enroute to 22 points.

For Murray’s first win of the season, a 50-48 win in Kearns, AuClaire torched the Cougars for 22 to lead all scorers by more than double the points of the next highest scorer. She saw 5 triples drop.

The winning continued in a hard fought 3-point game in Provo. Mia hit 5 more threes and finished with 21 to be high scorer of the night once again.

Last time out, the Spartans dismantled Granger to the tune of 56-24, and it was AuClaire leading the way again with 20 points and 2 hits from beyond the arc.

18 three pointers made in 5 contests make AuClaire one of the deadliest three-point snipers in 4A right now as Murray seeks to continue their recent hot streak.

3. Kealah Faumuina, Dixie Flyers

Dixie has played a schedule unlike any other 4A team right now.

The Flyers have faced teams from New Mexico, Arizona and of course Utah, creating fun and unique matchups.

One thing is for sure, these out of state teams have been taught all about Kealah Faumuina and her presence on the hardwood.

In the Flyers 2-1 start, Kealah has been dominant, posting 21.3 points per game on 56 percent shooting.

She started the year by bullying the East Leopards by scoring 21 of Dixie’s 46 points in a 46-33 win. It wasn’t just scoring that East struggled to contain her in, it was keeping her off the glass as well as Faumuina snagged 10 rebounds.

Dixie then traveled on down to the Page tournament, and Kealah packed her post game by hanging 27 on Kirtland, New Mexico. She would rip down another 10 boards and even hit a three in a 60-51 win.

Faumuina’s last time on the floor would be against the Monument Valley, Arizona. It was a tough game for the Flyers who dropped a tight 52-49 ballgame. Kealah would still lead her squad with a 16-point, 9 rebound night.

As the season wears on, you can expect Kealah Faumuina to get stronger. One of the best post players in the game is off to a hot start and shows no signs of slowing down.

2. Emilee Skinner, Ridgeline Riverhawks

No surprises here.

Ridgeline and Skinner had no opposition in the regular season and no opposition in the postseason last year as the Riverhawks went 25-0 and secured a state title in pure dominant fashion.

This year, Ridgeline has yet to slip winning their first two games by 46 and 13.

Emilee Skinner is that constant force behind this Ridgeline team eviscerating the competition.

Up to this point Skinner is averaging 24.7 points a night behind 60 percent shooting with nine made threes.

The Riverhawks came out of the gate with a 75-point showing in a drubbing of Morgan. Skinner had 26 points and 6 rebounds with a chill 4 three pointers made.

The intensity rose against Grantsville in a 76-63 win but Skinner remained steady with another 26-point performance while blocking 4 shots and hitting 4 threes.

The toughest task up to this point was certainly the most recent outing at 6A Lone Peak. The Riverhawks escaped with a 4-point win behind Emilee Skinner’s 22 points and 9 rebounds.

Skinner wasn’t finding as much from behind the arc with only one three made against the Knights, so 19 of those points were hard earned.

The balance and consistency of Skinner will always make Ridgeline one of the toughest teams’ opponents will ever match up against.

1. Olivia Hamlin, Snow Canyon Warriors

Between Owen Mackay and Olivia Hamlin, its clear to see that high end talent can be found at Snow Canyon High School.

Snow Canyon is 4 games into their 2023-2024 campaign and currently sit at 3-1. The Warriors 57.8 Points a night currently rank them as the #1 offense in region 9 and when you look at what Olivia Hamlin is doing, it isn’t difficult to understand why.

Hamlin has started the year with 26.7 points a game to lead all scorers in PPG.

She started the year with a 28-point night in a big win over Beaver, being the only Warrior to post double digit scoring.

Next game up, Snow Canyon still hung 55, but fell just shy to Richfield in a clos matchup. Hamlin would find a way to be the leading scorer of the game despite the loss by posting 21 points with two hits beyond the arc.

The Warriors would get back on track with a clutch 58-56 win over Olympus courtesy of Hamlin going for another game high 26 points with only one deep ball.

Snow Canyon had enough of those close games by the time they welcomed Springville. The Warriors never gave the Red Devils a chance as they waltzed to a 63-42 win.

Despite the final score, Hamlin still put in a full night’s work with 27 points to, you guessed it, lead all scorers.

The three ball hasn’t necessarily started to fall for Hamlin who has three made through 4 games. She had 43 last season.

That fact alone should concern the rest of the 4A basketball world as her best ball seems in front of her and she’s already playing at the highest level.