1 / 6

Timpview's Mason Ford directed the offense from the point during his team's 81-53 win over Maple Mountain on Friday. January 23, 2026

Brandon Gurney, Provo Daily Herald

2 / 6

Timpview's Jackson Palmer looks to drive the lane during his team's 81-53 win over Maple Mountain on Friday. January 23, 2026

Brandon Gurney, Provo Daily Herald

3 / 6

Timpview star Dean Rueckert deferred to his teammate's to carry the scoring load during his team's 81-53 win over Maple Mountain. January 23, 2026

Brandon Gurney, Provo Daily Herald

4 / 6

Timpview senior guard Mason Ford lays it in on a fast break situation during his team's 81-53 win over Maple Mountain on Friday. January 23, 2026

Brandon Gurney, Provo Daily Herald

5 / 6

Timpview forward Dean Rueckert lays it in for two of his nine points scored during an 81-53 win over Maple Mountain. January 23, 2026

Brandon Gurney, Provo Daily Herald

6 / 6

Timpview's will Openshaw leads his team on a fastbreak opportunity during an 81-53 win over Maple Mountain on Friday. January 23, 2026

Brandon Gurney, Provo Daily Herald

❮ ❯

Timpview seniors Mason Ford and Dean Rueckert have been close friends since preschool, and it shows.

During an 81-53 win over Maple Mountain on Friday, Ford and Rueckert combined to direct a total team effort that highlighted just about every individual that took to the hardwood for the T-birds.

And it wasn’t just Ford and Rueckert, with fellow seniors like Lincoln Holcombe scoring a game-high 23 points, Will Openshaw adding 14 points and nine rebounds and Jackson Palmer chipping in 11 points. As for Ford, he directed the offense effectively from his point position, and in so doing scored 13 points while dishing out four assists.

It’s almost as if Timpview is chock full of experienced players who are very used to playing with each other.

“Me and Dean go back to preschool, and we’ve been best friends since, and then the rest of us have been playing together since the fifth or sixth grade,” Ford confirmed. “So yeah, we’re a very close group of seniors on this team and it’s awesome. I love playing with all of them and being a part of this team.”

Timpview’s roster cites eight seniors in all, each of whom play prominent roles within Timpview’s system which has proven dominant in forging a 16-1 record so far this season.

Sure, Rueckert is the most notable of the seniors, and is widely considered to be the top talent in the single state, and being as such can take over any given game, much like he has at various stages throughout his career. But in Friday’s win, the 6-foot-8 forward willingly deferred to his teammates to counteract the Golden Eagle’s constant double and even triple team defensive efforts on him.

“That’s what makes Dean so great and such a great teammate,” Ford said. “He’s doesn’t care if he scores 20 points, 30 points or even three points. He just wants to make the right play. That’s who Dean is and that’s the type of team we are. We don’t care who is making the shots. Tonight it was Linc (Holcombe), and he got his opportunity because of the focus on Dean, and he got it done.”

“Tonight was what being a team is all about, and I’m very happy with how we performed tonight, as a team. That’s the beautiful thing about this team,” added Timpview coach Brad Kitchen. “Dean’s game tonight really impressed me. He was so good identifying what was happening and he made all the right plays out there, I felt. He’s truly a special player and he showed why he is tonight. His maturity and confidence in his teammates was on full display.”

As mentioned, the biggest beneficiary was Holcombe, who hit four 3-pointers on the way to tallying his aforementioned game-high 23 points.

“Lincoln is a special player who plays his butt off every day,” Kitchen said. “He’s gone through some ups and downs this season, but he sticks to it, and you saw it work really well for him. Tonight was his game, and he came up big and we know Lincoln can do that when given the opportunity. I was super happy for him. Tonight was his night, and the next time it’s probably going to be someone else.”

Directing a lot of it, as his point guard position dictates, is Ford himself, who alternatively dished out passes and drove hard to the basket effectively throughout Friday’s win, much as he has throughout the season.

“He’s my coach on the court, and he does it extremely well,” Kitchen said. “He’s probably the guy I hold to the highest standard, probably because he plays the position I did when I played. Every team needs an effective point guard to win a state championship, and Mace (Ford) is continuing to make great strides and his impact is huge, and that impact comes often with things that don’t show up on the stat sheet.”

No one would doubt that Timpview has all the components to take a state championship this season, with last season standing as strong evidence. The T-birds ran it all the way to the state semifinal round where they lost to eventual state champion Olympus 76-58.

“We want it bad this year,” Ford said. “I feel it’s coming together well under our new coach and we just need to make sure we keep improving. But yeah, a state championship is definitely the goal.