TABIONA, Utah — For the girls' basketball team at Tabiona High School, winning the 1A state championship meant far more than bringing home a trophy.
It meant honoring a teammate who they say was still with them every step of the way.
After finishing second the past two seasons, the Tigers finally broke through this year, winning the state title two weeks ago and sparking celebration across the tiny Duchesne County community.
“Watching our hard work pay off in the end is awesome,” one player said. “Especially after taking second two years in a row. It just feels so good.”
But this season carried a deeper meaning for the team.
Three years ago, their friend and teammate Miley Rhoades was killed in a side-by-side ATV accident just a quarter mile from her home. She was 14 years old and preparing to enter high school, where she had hoped to continue playing the game she loved.
“Basketball was her love,” said her mother, Tomi Rhoades. “She played since she was little and she just had so much passion for it.”
The accident happened in May 2023 after Miley left an early morning weight training session.
“It just tipped on its side… and she was gone,” Tomi said.
The loss devastated Miley’s family and the small community of Tabiona.
“It just about broke us when we lost her,” Tomi said. “Basketball isn’t everything, but it meant a lot to her and it meant a lot to us. We loved watching her play.”
For Miley’s teammates, the pain turned into purpose.
“We went in with the mindset to be remembered,” one player said. “And we wanted her to be remembered.”
All season long, the team made sure Miley was still part of the journey.
Her photo traveled with them to games and sat on the bench during the state tournament. Her name was included in their pregame chants.
“We add her into everything,” one sophomore player said. “She’s on our shirts, she’s in our prayers… and in our cheer it says ‘Mighty Miley.’”
Rhodes said watching the girls keep her daughter’s memory alive meant more than she could put into words.
“You don’t even know how much it means to sit and watch them with that picture,” she said. “I would much rather have her right there with them than having her at home sitting on the wall.”
The players say they could feel Miley with them during some of the biggest moments of the season.
One of those came during the playoffs when a teammate launched a half-court shot that somehow found the net.
“When it went in, I knew I had Miley’s help,” the player said.
Head coach Jake Fabrizio says the team’s motivation ran deeper than a championship.
“They played not just for themselves,” Fabrizio said. “They played for a bigger picture — for Miley.”
When the final buzzer sounded and the Tigers secured the title, the victory belonged to the entire community.
In a high school with fewer than 40 students, nearly everyone showed up to support the team.
“Seeing our whole community in the stands… it just means everything,” one player said.
For the team, the championship will always represent more than a win on the court.
“We had one reason,” another player said. “We did it for her.”
And even with the title now hanging in the gym, the young team says their work isn’t done yet.
“It was so fun,” one sophomore said with a laugh. “We can’t wait to do it again.”
