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Timpanogos junior Summer Christensen (1) and Payson senior Krista Rowley (20) battle for a loose ball during the 5A first round game in Orem on Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2022. (Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald)

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Timpanogos senior Tessa Newell (left) blocks a shot during the 5A first round game against Payson in Orem on Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2022. (Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald)

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Timpanogos junior Katie Walker shoots a shot during the 5A first round game against Payson in Orem on Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2022. (Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald)

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Payson junior Emma Sorensen (12) shoots a shot during the 5A first round game against Timpanogos in Orem on Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2022. (Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald)

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Timpanogos junior Kate Dickinson shoots a shot during the 5A first round game against Payson in Orem on Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2022. (Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald)

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Payson junior Kamryn Meek shoots a shot during the 5A first round game against Timpanogos in Orem on Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2022. (Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald)

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Timpanogos junior Summer Christensen jumps to save the ball during the 5A first round game against Payson in Orem on Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2022. (Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald)

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Payson junior Emma Sorensen shoots a shot during the 5A first round game against Timpanogos in Orem on Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2022. (Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald)

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Timpanogos players line up for the national anthem before the 5A first round game against Payson in Orem on Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2022. (Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald)

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Payson players like up for the national anthem before the 5A first round game against Timpanogos in Orem on Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2022. (Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald)

❮ ❯

Just seven seconds to play … tie game … 85 feet from the basket … a season on the line.

There is no one the Timpanogos girls basketball team would rather have the ball in that situation than junior Summer Christensen.

“She’s our stud player,” Timberwolf head coach Todd Granthem said. “When she has the ball, we want her to do what she thinks is best, whether that is drive or shoot.”

The No. 11-seeded Timberwolves found themselves locked in a dogfight with No. 22-seeded Payson in Tuesday’s 5A first round game in Orem. The Lions had the ball with time winding down, but their shot came up short and the rebound caromed around until it got to Christensen.

She immediately took off and since she is one of the fastest sprinters in the state, she covered the ground quickly.

“My first thought was to get to the basket, to get fouled or make a layup,” Christensen said.

Like she had all game, the Timberwolf junior drove hard to the basket. There was a bump with a Lion defender as she went up but her shot came up short of the rim.

The official deemed it enough, however, to blow his whistle.

“It was very relieving to hear that, especially after the shot missed,” Christensen said.

With just 1.2 seconds on the clock, Christensen stepped up and calmly drained the foul shot, giving Timpanogos the dramatic 57-56 victory.

“It was very nice to see that shot go in, since I had been working hard on my free throws,” Christensen said. “I missed the second but that turned out to be alright.”

With no timeouts left, Payson didn’t have time to get off a desperation heave and that was the end of the game.

While Christensen’s foul shot was the game-winner, it was one of a series of amazing performances from both teams.

The Timberwolves appeared to be in control when they built a 42-33 lead late in the third quarter.

The Lions, however, refused to fold and came roaring back with four big 3-pointers — two from junior Emma Sorensen and two from Emersea Beddoes.

With a minute left to play, Payson broke a tie game with a clutch 3-pointer from junior Kamryn Meek.

Sixteen seconds later, though, Timpanogos junior Raygan Peterson answered with a bomb from beyond the arc to tie things up again and set the stage for the drama of the final moments.

“We’ve talked all year about staying resilient, no matter what happens,” Granthem said. “Whether we are up or down, we want to keep playing our game.”

Christensen said a key for the Timberwolves was that they didn’t panic.

“It was an intense game,” she said. “The girls did a great job at staying calm. A lot of players made big shots.”

One key was the foul shooting of Timberwolf junior Kate Dickinson, who only made two field goals but hit 13-of-15 from the charity stripe on her way to 17 points. Christensen ended up putting in 15 points as well.

Payson was paced by 13 points from senior Melissa McCauley.

Timpanogos now turns its attention to a tough second-round contest against another physical team as it will play at Springville. The Red Devils defeated Hillcrest, 56-35.

“Our philosophy is that when we play our game, we are good enough to beat anyone,” Granthem said. “We have a lot of close games. If our heads are in the right spot, we should be able to go out there and give them a good game.”

The Timberwolves are slated to head to Springville for a 7 p.m. tipoff on Thursday.

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