Boys Basketball: Young Timpview squad wins close one at Springville
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- Timpview’s Dean Rueckert hangs on the rim after a dunk during a Region 7 basketball game at Springville on Friday, Jan. 12, 2024. Rueckert scored 20 points in the first half, which the T-Birds led 30-27 at halftime.
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- Springville’s Mason Hansen drives to the basket in a Region 7 boys basketball game against Timpview on Friday, Jan. 12, 2024.
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- The Springville student section reacts to action on the court in a Region 7 boys basketball game against Timpview at Springville on Friday, Jan. 12, 2024.
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- Timpview’s Aisa Galea’i (right) dribbles against Springville’s Luke Nadauld during a Region 7 boys basketball game in Springville on Friday, Jan. 12, 2024.
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- Springville’s Mason Hansen (13) drives in for a shot against Timpview in a Region 7 boys basketball game in Springville on Friday, Jan. 12, 2024.
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- Springville’s Mason Hansen takes a shot against Timpview in a Region 7 boys basketball game at Springville on Friday, Jan. 12, 2024.
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- Timpview’s Dean Rueckert drives to the basket in a Region 7 boys basketball game at Springville on Friday, Jan. 12, 2024.
An old adage among coaches is that the best thing about sophomores is they become juniors.
The Timpview boys basketball team has seven sophomores in its rotation this season, including the top four scorers. They aren’t juniors just yet but they are learning what it takes to win close games. The T-Birds held on against a gritty Springville team on the road on Friday, taking home a 56-52 Region 7 victory.
Timpview is 9-4 overall this season and 4-0 in region play. After a preseason where the T-Birds lost two games in overtime and two more by one point, they have won those four region games by an average of 6.5 points.
Finishing close games matters.
“They’re learning how to win,” Timpview coach Israel Ingle said. “We’re four possessions away from being undefeated. We tell them, ‘Hey, this is the best thing that’s ever going to happen to us.’ And at the time, when you’re a young sophomore, you’re 16 years old, you don’t really see the big picture. But then we go back to practice and we work on it, and now they’re starting to see that those things were good for us in the long run. So we have to take care of all the little things so we can grind out those other wins.”
Sophomore Dean Rueckert got the T-Birds off to a great start with 20 first-half points. That included three dunks (an alley-oop, a fast break and a back-door drive), a 3-point play and a 3-pointer. Timpview led by as many as eight points in the first half.
Springville, playing without leading scorer Andrew Miller (18.6 points per game), managed to keep the first half close behind junior Mason Hansen, who scored ten points. His driving layup brought the Red Devils even at 13 after one quarter and a 3-pointer from Dylan Corfield beat the halftime buzzer, drawing the home team within 30-27 at the break.
Springville slowed down Rueckert in the second half, mainly due to sticky, physical defense from senior Ethan Chapman, and held him scoreless in the third quarter. However, 3-pointers from sophomores Aisa Galea’i, Callen Tollestrup and Mason Ford kept Timpview in front, 42-38, entering the fourth.
The Red Devils pulled even at 46-all with 2:58 to play on a basket by Jamyn Sondrup. Galea’i stepped up with a nice feed to Fisher Ross for a layup, then scored on a pull-up jumper to beat the shot clock and Timpview led 50-46 with 1:38 remaining.
Another Sondrup basket inside got Springville within two, 50-48, at the 1:07 mark. But Rueckert made his only basket of the second half, a long 3-pointer, for a 53-48 T-Birds advantage and the visitors held on at the free throw line for the victory.
Ruckert finished with 26 points for Timpview and Galea’i added 12.
“I think composure was the biggest thing,” said Ruckert, who was offered by BYU two weeks ago. “We’re finishing out close games. We’ve played a lot of close games and we’re just dogging, playing hard all the way and balling out. We’re all fresh. We’re all friends and we’re tight because a lot of us are in the same grade. I think our biggest advantage is our chemistry.”
The T-Birds continue Region 7 play next Tuesday hosting Orem.
Ingle said his team is growing together.
“These young guys are sponges,” he said. “They listen to all the things we tell them and trying to do everything we ask. And we don’t have a selfish kid in the whole locker room. They’re picking up on everything and their like a new canvas. We only have a couple of seniors (Nate Davis and Austin Trail) but they are such great leaders for the younger guys.”
Hansen led Springville (7-6, 2-2) with 16 points and Sondrup added 13. The Red Devils will travel to Maple Mountain next Tuesday.
TIMPVIEW 56, SPRINGVILLE 52
Timpview 13 17 12 14 — 56
Springville 13 14 10 15 — 52
Timpview: Ruckert 26, Galae’i 12, Tollestrup 6, Hansen 4, Ford 4, Openshaw 3, Holcombe 1. Totals 20 9-14 56.
Springville: Hansen 16, Sondrup 13, Corfield 9, Hall 6, Chapman 6, Nadauld 2. Totals 17 7-15 52.
3-point goals: Timpview 7 (Rueckert 2, Tollestrup 2, Galea’i, Ford, Openshaw), Springville 7 (Corfield 3, Hansen 2, Hall, Chapman).
