Provo girls race past Timpanogos to keep pace in Region 8 standings
-
- Provo’s Asha Alletto tries a layup in a game against Timpanogos Friday, Jan. 30, 2026, in Orem.
-
- Provo’s Sage Yenchik dribbles the ball in a game against Timpanogos Friday, Jan. 30, 2026, in Orem.
-
- Provo’s Valeria Martinez tries a layup in a game against Timpanogos Friday, Jan. 30, 2026, in Orem.
-
- Provo defenders try to steal the ball from Timpanogos’ MaKayla Boyer in a Region 8 matchup Friday, Jan. 30, 2026, in Orem.
-
- Timpanogos’ Ellie Adams attempts a shot over Provo’s Valeria Martinez in a Region 8 matchup Friday, Jan. 30, 2026, in Orem.
-
- Timpanogos’ MaKayla Boyer dribbles past Provo’s Emma Martin in a Region 8 matchup Friday, Jan. 30, 2026, in Orem.
The Provo and Timpanogos girls basketball teams each have multiple double-digit scorers capable of creating their own shot and getting hard-earned buckets in the half court.
The easiest way to score, though, is to simply be the first team down the court, and on Friday night, Provo subscribed to that philosophy.
The Bulldogs ran off turnovers, rebounds and — in some cases — made baskets to get easy layups and race to a 71-59 win over the Timberwolves in a Region 8 matchup Friday in Orem. The victory keeps the Bulldogs (14-7, 7-1) tied for first in the region with two regular season games remaining.
“We work a lot on transition, a lot on those passes, run, run, run,” coach Amanda Barker said. “That’s our bread and butter.”
The performance came despite multiple Bulldogs facing illness, according to Barker, but there was never an indication the team wasn’t at full strength.
The whole rotation got in on the action, with seven players scoring and four finishing in double figures. Sage Yenchik led the Bulldogs with 18 points, while Lydia Ibarra had 17, Valeria Martinez had 12 and Mia Martinez tacked on 10.
“Tonight, specifically, they played hard,” Barker said. “Every single girl that went on the court knew what she needed to do, understood her assignment, and just got gritty. And that’s when it’s fun. It’s fun when you don’t have to rely on one person to bring the energy.”
After leading 18-15 through the first quarter, Provo raced to a 10-0 run behind a handful of turnovers and a deep 3-pointer from Yenchik.The Bulldogs went on a similar run in the third quarter, outscoring the Timberwolves 7-0 to open the half, punctuated by a Chante Tuilevuka layup that came off a Timpanogos missed free throw.
Provo overcame its own ball-security issues to force the hosts into seven third-quarter turnovers while allowing just seven points, building a 53-35 lead at the end of the quarter.
“Basketball is a game of runs, it’s a game of momentum shifts,” Barker said. “And I felt like we just really kept the momentum most of the game. … We’ve talked a lot about how important it is to come out and really just put the pedal to the metal and not let up. So I was really pleased with that.”
Provo’s domination of the middle two quarters changed what could have been a competitive game against a Timpanogos (14-7, 4-4) team with two of the top scorers in the region.
The hosts played their best in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Bulldogs 24-18, cutting the deficit to 12 and forcing Barker to put her starters back in the game in the final minute.
Timpanogos got major production from MaKayla Boyer, who had a game-high 28 points, while Ellie Adams added 14. For the game, Timpanogos forced 20 turnovers of its own.
“We’ve also got to get better at taking care of the ball and making sure that we don’t get clamped on ourselves,” Barker said.
Timpanogos visits Summit Academy at 5 p.m. Tuesday before hosting Orem in its regular-season finale at 7 p.m. Friday.
Provo travels to Vernal to face Uintah at 5:15 p.m. Tuesday, then finishes the regular season at home in a rematch against Mountain View.
