|
In the late 1980s, the NBA featured three prolific stars who could do it all in Chicago's Michael Jordan, Los Angeles's Magic Johnson and Boston's Larry Bird.
Anyone longing for those memorable days need look no further than Region 4, where the equivalent lies in Class 5A's top three scorers: Pleasant Grove junior C.J. Wilcox (25.5 points per game), Timpanogos senior Skylar Halford (23.4 ppg) and Lone Peak junior Tyler Haws (21.5 ppg).
It was a clash of titans Wednesday night at Timpanogos as the Viking (Wilcox) and the Timberwolf (Halford) led two teams hoping to stay unbeaten in Region 4 action.
Both players showed a variety of talents and even squared off twice with the game on the line but in the end, it was Pleasant Grove that emerged with the 57-52 win.
The Vikings held a narrow two-point advantage with under 30 seconds to play but Timpanogos had the ball. Halford penetrated and went up for one of his deadly jump shots, but Wilcox's long arms proved to be the difference and he was able to deflect the ball into the air.
Pleasant Grove junior LeSean Wilcox got the loose ball and was fouled, but hit only 1-of-2 free throws to give the Timberwolves hope.
With time winding down, Halford had to fire up a 3-pointer with C.J. Wilcox in his face and it hit off the iron and bounced out, virtually sealing the Viking victory.
"You have to give a lot of credit to Craig Tucker and Jared Allridge for that," explained Pleasant Grove head coach Randy McAllister. "He still had a great game but they made him work for everything he got. You pound him for three-and-a-half quarters and then put C.J. on him with his length and his athleticism."
The visitors had a couple of chances to put the game away early, building 10-point advantages early in both halves, but the T'Wolves refused to go away.
"Many people may not believe it but I've got a pretty good team," said Timpanogos head coach Clay Anderson. "This team knows how to play. This game came down to missed layups and them going to the line 25 times and us going four."
Halford led all scorers with 25 points, while C.J. Wilcox had 15 to pace the Vikings. Pleasant Grove also got 14 points from senior Craig Tucker, including three treys.
"People are going to focus on C.J. more since he's one of the best players in the state," Tucker said. "Others have to make plays and tonight I was able to hit a few shots."
The Vikings now take their 12-1 record (2-0 in region) home to meet Lone Peak on Friday in another titanic matchup. The Timberwolves (5-7, 1-1) will try to get back on track at American Fork the same night.
Both games are scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.
• Jared Lloyd can be reached at
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
PLEASANT GROVE (57)
C. Wilcox 15, Tucker 14, L. Wilcox 9, Allridge 7, Nielson 6, Thurgood 3, Tanoai 3. Totals 17 18-25 57.
TIMPANOGOS (52)
Halford 25, Brown 8, Thomas 5, Willman 4, McAllister 4, Blake 4, Ritter 2. Totals 23 4-4 52.
Pleasant Grove 14 15 18 10 -- 57
Timpanogos 7 17 18 10 -- 52
3-point goals: Pleasant Grove 5 (Tucker 3, L. Wilcox 2); Timpanogos 2 (Halford 2). |
