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Timpview's Dean Reuckert, left, and J.J. Serre of Wasatch jump center at the start of a 5A boys basketball second round state tournament game on Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2024.

Darnell Dickson, Daily Herald

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Timpview's Aisa Galea'i shoots a buzzer-beating 3-pointer at the end of the first half against Wasatch in a 5A boys basketball second round state tournament game on Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2024.

Darnell Dickson, Daily Herald

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Timpview's Aisa Galea'i (0) dribbles up the floor against Wasatch in a 5A boys basketball second round state tournament game on Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2024.

Darnell Dickson, Daily Herald

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Timpview's Corbyn Hansen (2) passes the ball against Wasatch during a 5A state second round boys basketball game on Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2024.

Darnell Dickson, Daily Herald

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Timpview's Mason Ford (25) drives to the basket against Logan Dorius of Wasatch during a 5A second round boys basketball game on Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2024.

Darnell Dickson, Daily Herald

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Timpview students react to a play on the court during a 5A boys basketball second round state tournament game against Wasatch on Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2024.

Darnell Dickson, Daily Herald

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Sam Lind of Wasatch (5) dribbles against Aisa Galea'i of Timpview during a 5A boys basketball second round state tournament game on Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2024.

Darnell Dickson, Daily Herald

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With the offense bogged down and Timpview trying to pull away from pesky Wasatch, the Thunderbirds turned to “instant offense.”

Sophomore Callen Tollestrup made a pair of huge 3-pointers in the final four minutes as No. 4 seed Timpview held off No. 13 Wasatch 54-43 in the second round of the 5A boys state basketball tournament on Wednesday.

“We were battling foul trouble,” T-Birds head coach Israel Ingle said. “Callen, he’s instant offense when he comes in and he really helped us out because nobody else was really knocking down shots. Wasatch did a really good job of defending us. When you play a team twice, they kind of what we’re doing and it makes it harder to score.”

Timpview, which beat the Wasps two times during Region 8 play, led by as many as 10 points but Wasatch wouldn’t go away and pulled within two points, 42-40, early in the fourth quarter. the T-Birds were clinging to a 44-40 lead when Tollestrup broke loose and nailed a corner 3-pointer for a 47-40 advantage. With 1:22 to play, sophomore guard Aisa Galea’i dished to Tollestrup for another triple for a 50-42 lead that essentially put the game away.

“I just had to shoot them with confidence,” Tollestrup said. “I missed the last three I took but I had to shoot them and I knew they were going in. My teammates got me the ball. I love playing with my guards.”

Tollestrup banged in back-to-back 3-pointers to end the first quarter with Timpview leading 11-8. The T-Birds rolled in the second quarter, putting up 24 points and stretched out to a 22-12 lead on a 3-pointer from Dean Reuckert. As the first half wound down, Galea’i raced down the floor and launched a running shot beyond the arc that went in for a 35-26 lead for Timpview.

The T-Birds had trouble finding offense in the third quarter and Wasatch went on a 9-0 run, highlighted by 3-pointers by Sam Lind and J.J. Serre. Jacob Balch made three free throws to pull the Wasps even at 37-all with 3:12 to play in the third. Timpview took a 42-39 lead into the fourth quarter.

Ingle said he wasn’t worried that the game had to be won late.

“I think it’s great,” he said. “It’s just about building momentum. Some state tournament games your shot going to fall and some games it’s not going to fall. How can you adjust? We tell our players all the time, it’s not the strongest team that survives, it’s the one that can adapt. We have really good adaptability. You can grind out an ugly one and that can help you the next time around.

“We still feel like we’re getting better every day. We’re tweaking things and tightening things up. We really do have a young team so we just try to keep improving every day all the way through the tournament.”

Four players scored double figures for Timpview, led by Ford with 13 including 9 of 9 from the foul line. Tollestrup and Galea’i had 12 each and Reuckert added 11.

Balch led Wasatch (12-13) with 17 points and Lind contributed 16.

Timpview (18-6) will play Orem (18-6) in Saturday’s quarterfinals at the University of Utah. The T-Birds and No. 5 seed Tigers split a pair of regular season Region 7 games and tied for the league title with identical 12-2 records. Timpview also topped Orem 47-34 in last year’s 5A semifinals.

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