Sandy • Alta’s opponents are learning the hard way: There’s no easy way to slow down Makenzi Morrison.

The 5-foot-8 senior guard had another high-scoring night, this time cutting through Brighton (10-6) for 30 points as Alta (12-5) rolled 54-38 at home. The win helped solidify the Hawks’ standing as the top team in Region 3 and gets them closer to a No. 1 seed in the Class 5A playoffs.

Despite going through long stretches with turnovers and cold shooting, Alta clamped down on defense to stay ahead of the Bengals. Morrison’s hot hand helped guide a sometimes shaky Hawks team to the finish.

“That’s what she’s done all year,” coach Kristi Jensen said. “She’s very controlled and confident. She knows what it takes.”

From the beginning, Morrison looked set up for a big night. She started off scoring six of the Hawks’ seven points in the first quarter, then followed up with a 12-point outburst before halftime, driving into the lane against two or three Brighton defenders or just knocking down 3-pointers.

She didn’t just score: Morrison helped key the transition game in the second quarter, catching the Bengals off guard. Alta headed into the locker room at the intermission with a solid 28-15 lead.

“We’re young, so a lot of times the girls are more comfortable with fast breaks,” Morrison said. “We’re still trying to get everyone to find their shot.”

The rest of the team was slow to produce offense: No one else had more than three field goals in the game. The Hawks also coughed up turnovers in the fourth quarter — not exactly clutch.

Luckily for Alta, the Bengals bailed them out with poor free-throw shooting. Brighton had 12 attempts in the fourth quarter, making only two. Lindsey Johnson and Maddy Chin combined for 20 points, and continued to fight until the end, but the Bengals never came closer than eight points after halftime.

Alta still has youth issues to deal with, even when it scores. At the end of the game as the Hawks were dribbling out the clock, Morrison passed to Chloe Ferre, who shot a 3-pointer on reflex. Brighton’s coaches got upset at Alta for running up the score, but Ferre, with Morrison at her back, was quick to apologize.

“We’re still learning a lot,” Morrison said. “We’re getting there.”

kgoon@sltrib.com

Twitter: @kylegoon