Springville boys basketball uses defense to edge Maple Mountain
Springville students celebrate with guard Seth Mortensen (2) after Springville defeated Maple Mountain 46-44 on Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2017 at Springville High School. ISAAC HALE, Daily Herald
Springville guard Bennett Hullinger (2) goes up for a shot while guarded by Maple Mountain center Brad Bird (5) during a game between the Springville Red Devils and the Maple Mountain Golden Eagles on Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2017 at Springville High School. ISAAC HALE, Daily Herald
Springville center Andrew Slack shoots the ball as Maple Mountain center Matthew Ballard (0) falls to the ground during a game between the Springville Red Devils and the Maple Mountain Golden Eagles on Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2017 at Springville High School. ISAAC HALE, Daily Herald
Maple Mountain point guard Tyler Boyack (11) pulls down a rebound while guarded by Springville defenders during a game between the Springville Red Devils and the Maple Mountain Golden Eagles on Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2017 at Springville High School. ISAAC HALE, Daily Herald
Springville students storm the court and celebrate after Springville defeated Maple Mountain 46-44 on Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2017 at Springville High School. ISAAC HALE, Daily Herald
Springville guard Josh Elison (3) keeps a handle on the ball as he pulls down a rebound during a game between the Springville Red Devils and the Maple Mountain Golden Eagles on Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2017 at Springville High School. ISAAC HALE, Daily Herald
Maple Mountain point guard Tyler Boyack (11) looks to pass as he's defended by Springville center Andrew Slack (30) and guard Seth Mortensen (2) during a game between the Springville Red Devils and the Maple Mountain Golden Eagles on Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2017 at Springville High School. ISAAC HALE, Daily Herald
With under a minute left in the fourth quarter, the Springville boys basketball team clung to a two-point lead over rival Maple Mountain.
With the capacity crowd in Springville going nuts, the Red Devil shooting went cold as the home team missed three chances to extend the lead.
What do you do when you can’t the ball to go through the hoop?
Rely on defense and rebounding.
Springville held the Golden Eagles on three straight possessions, including contesting a Maple Mountain layup in the final seconds to force a miss and secure the 46-44 win.
“From a defensive standpoint, we played great,” Red Devil head coach Justin Snell said. “This is a group that has chosen to be defensive-minded and make the adjustments to play well and they do it a T.”
He said that in a game when his squad was 13-of-32 from inside the 3-point line and make just 5-of-14 free throws, it was the stifling defense that gave Springville the victory.
“We had an off offensive night but with our defense, we were OK,” Snell said.
A big part of that was the Red Devil patrolling the middle, senior Andrew Slack. He said he was enjoying the electric atmosphere and the tight contest where neither team led by more than six points.
“I love these types of games,” he said with a grin. “I love the competition because that’s when you see what you are made of and how resilient you are.”
Springville had to be resilient in the final minute because the Golden Eagles kept getting chances.
After a Slack free throw, Maple Mountain had three opportunities to tie or go in front but couldn’t get the ball in.
“We did have chances,” Golden Eagle head coach Johnny Averett said. “That’s basketball. Sometimes they go down and sometimes they don’t. You want to be in position to score and we did that.”
The best chance came in the last seconds of the game when Maple Mountain guard Parker Christensen got the ball on the wing, then cut past his man to get to the rim.
Slack, however, came in and did a good job of body control as he altered the layup and kept Springville in front.
“I was thinking that I had to contest it,” Slack said. “The coaches have preached all year to go straight up and so that’s what I did.”
Snell said that although Slack is going to play football as an offensive lineman at Weber State, the Red Devils trust him to make plays against smaller guards.
Slack was also the offensive force for Springville as he poured in 21 points. Averett said the Golden Eagles simply couldn’t find an answer.
“Slack was the difference-maker,” Averett said. “He is a load and it seemed like on every possession he did a great job of sealing us out. He killed us.”
Both teams loved the atmosphere of playing a tight game in front of a raucous, energetic crowd.
“Playing in an environment like this only helps you,” Averett said. “It was great to play a quality team like Springville.”
Maple Mountain was led by 14 points from Tyler Boyack.
With the win, the Red Devils move within half a game of Maple Mountain atop the Region 8 standings.
“We’ve got to finish it out right,” Snell said. “We can’t let this be our peak. We’ve got to maintain the momentum and make sure we are peaking at the right time.”
Springville has two games left – against Wasatch and Spanish Fork – while the Golden Eagles will finish the regular season against the Dons on Friday.
Springville 46, Maple Mountain 44
MAPLE MOUNTAIN (44): Ballard 4, Christensen 6, Bird 2, Boyack 14, Beutler 2, Bingham 10, Rhatigan 6. Totals 12 16-17 44.
SPRINGVILLE (46): Schreiner 3, Mortensen 3, Elison 10, J. Hullinger 9, Slack 21. Totals 18 5-14 46.
Maple Mountain 9 12 15 6 — 44 Springville 9 16 9 12 — 46
3-point goals: Maple Mountain 4 (Boyack 2, Bingham 2), Springville 5 (Elison 2, Schreiner, Mortensen, B. Hullinger).
MAPLE MOUNTAIN (44): Ballard 4, Christensen 6, Bird 2, Boyack 14, Beutler 2, Bingham 10, Rhatigan 6. Totals 12 16-17 44.
SPRINGVILLE (46): Schreiner 3, Mortensen 3, Elison 10, J. Hullinger 9, Slack 21. Totals 18 5-14 46.
Maple Mountain;9;12;15;6;–;44
Springville;9;16;9;12;–;46
3-point goals: Maple Mountain 4 (Boyack 2, Bingham 2), Springville 5 (Elison 2, Schreiner, Mortensen, B. Hullinger).