By Jon Gilbert

| Special to The Tribune

Something changed for the Judge Memorial girls’ basketball team last June.

At Mesa State College in Grand Junction, Colo., Caitlin Gruis hit 3-pointers on six consecutive possessions in a team camp game. Though it may have counted for only 18 points in that game, it began a transformation for Gruis and Judge that has helped it into the second round of the Class 3A state tournament.

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At a glance

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Big player » Justin Weaver, Highland wrestling. Weaver earned a Region 6 championship at 195 pounds, giving him a bye in the first two rounds of the 4A classification state tournament. He pinned his first opponent and won his next two decisions 11-7 and 8-6 to reach the championship match. He fell 5-4 to Breckin Gunter of Box Elder but still ended the season with a fantastic run.

Big number » 4. Number of years since the East girls’ basketball team’s last playoff berth. The Leopards took the hard way, winning three Region 6 games by a total of five points, including a one-point win over Clearfield and a three-point win over Highland in the last week of the season. Those wins got East into a play-in game with Clearfield Feb. 16, which it won 46-43 to make the 4A classification state tournament.

Big game » Carbon vs. Judge Memorial girls’ basketball at Dixie State College, Thursday, 7:30 p.m. Carbon is trying to return to the 3A classification state championship game after losing to Emery 55-42 last season. Judge is trying to keep a great season going. The game features 3A’s leading scorer, Judge’s Kailie Quinn at 19 points per game, and 3A’s third leading scorer, Carbon’s Miranda Averett at 14.7 points per game.

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"It was the first time that I was able to step up for my team in a varsity game and it gave me a lot of confidence," Gruis, the senior guard, said.

After the Bulldogs went through a 2010-11 season in which star freshman guard Kailie Quinn was heavily guarded by every team and had no consistent scoring help, they needed a second scorer. They needed someone to take some of the heat off of Quinn not only to put more points on the board but to help Quinn operate more freely. Gruis has emerged as that vital counterpart.

Gruis has hit 43 3-pointers this season, among the most in the state. She operates mainly outside the 3-point stripe, finding space and waiting for one of the point guards — either Quinn or Sarah Anne Nakamura — to kick her the ball from the lane. She’s there waiting to knock it down from outside to keep the defense honest.

Quinn’s is scoring a 3A-best 19 points per game, up from 11.6 point per game last season.

"Trust me, if I can drive and kick to her I would all day because [the shots] are going to go in," Quinn said.

If Gruis’ defender stays with her, Quinn has more freedom to drive to the basket. If Gruis’ defender leaves her to clog up the lane, there’s a good chance Gruis will get the ball and make the defense pay for three points. It’s something that the coaching staff has worked with Gruis on and something they began to emphasize after that June shooting spree. Now, if Gruis is open, she’s expected to shoot. Coach Matt Mapstone wants to see no hesitation. Gruis is a shooter and she’s supposed to do just that.

"It’s nice to have that confidence from my coaches and to know that I have the green light to shoot when I get the ball," Gruis said.

The team slipped by Cedar in the first round of the state tournament 47-41 in overtime Friday after never leading in regulation. It’s the first time in Gruis’ four years at Judge that the Bulldogs have gotten out of the first round. The win over a 17-5 team is a confidence builder, she said.

"We’re riding pretty high right now," Mapstone said.

The Bulldogs play Carbon in the second round in at Dixie State College on Thursday.