For Haylie Harper, doing what most would consider a daily grind was never much of a chore. 

According to her head basketball coach Manny Taban-Taeoalii, it was Harper who constantly sent texts to his and others’ phones. 

“She always wanted to get better! Always messaging the coaching staff about what she need to do to get better or wanting to get in the gym,” said the Granger coach. 

One game stood out most to Taban-Taeoalii, in particular: versus Taylorsville at home, January 26 in a Region 4 showdown. 

After a dominant first half in which Granger raced out to a 23-9 lead, the visiting Warriors stormed back. 

But Harper was unfazed. Despite being “really sick” according to Taban-Taeoalii, Harper played through that pain, scoring 19 points on four three-point makes while leading the Lady Lancers to a 52-34 win over rival Taylorsville. 

It marked Granger’s third win in four games, and set the tone for the rest of a season, one in which Granger reached the 5A state tournament for the first time since 2021. 

Winning a single game was no easy task in Region 4: Five of those eight teams qualified for the 5A state basketball playoffs this past season, including Granger. Every league game was a battle, requiring the senior Harper and her teammates to find strength when times got tough. 

It was also hard lessons learned over the past four years in which the Lady Lancers won two, three and six games in each of those seasons. 

Granger upped that to an 11-13 record and an 8-6 mark in Region 4, thanks in no small part to work that Harper put in to improve as a player and teammate. Escalating from one point per game as a freshman to eight as a sophomore and junior was proof enough. 

Harper nearly doubled her three-year average as a senior, netting 14 points, four rebounds, two steals and two assists as she helped lead Granger to a state tourney spot.  

Though the Granger senior has yet to commit to a school according to Taban-Taeoalii, Harper has received offers from Treasure Valley Community College in LaGrange, Oregon and Southwestern Oregon Community College in Coos Bay and Colorado Northwestern Community College. 

There couldn’t be more polar opposite places from West Valley City, than TVCC, which sits on plains near the Oregon-Idaho border about an hour west of Boise, and SWOCC that nearly hugs the coast of the Pacific Ocean. 

Southwestern Oregon also holds a special meaning to Taban-Taeoalii and his wife; it’s where they met as students. 

In addition to basketball, Harper also plays softball for the Lady Lancers that are currently in the middle of the Region 4 campaign, and is a three-year starter in that sport. 

In the eyes of Taban-Taeoalii and his coaching staff, they couldn’t be more thrilled about the person Harper has become. As a team captain and bonafide leader on the court, the Granger senior always set an example at practices and games, and has helped pave what was an often difficult path for her and her teammates, for Lady Lancer teams to come. 

“Haylie has meant a lot to the program,” Taban-Taeoalii said. “She came in daily and put in the work. She always wanted to push herself and her teammates.”