Hunter Larson sparks Cedar Valley boys basketball to upset of Timpanogos
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- Timpanogos junior Jack Johnson drives to the basket during the non-region game against Cedar Valley in Eagle Mountain on Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023.
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- Cedar Valley junior Brennan Olsen goes up for a layup during the non-region game against Timpanogos in Eagle Mountain on Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023.
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- Timpanogos senior Luke Livingston goes up for a layup during the non-region game against Cedar Valley in Eagle Mountain on Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023.
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- Cedar Valley senior Hunter Larson goes to the rim during the non-region game against Timpanogos in Eagle Mountain on Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023.
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- Timpanogos junior Jack Johnson dribbles to the baseline during the non-region game against Cedar Valley in Eagle Mountain on Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023.
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- Cedar Valley junior Owen Bawden shoots a shot during the non-region game against Timpanogos in Eagle Mountain on Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023.
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- Timpanogos sophomore Jaxen McCuistion watches his shot during the non-region game against Cedar Valley in Eagle Mountain on Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023.
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- Cedar Valley senior Heath Christensen shoots a 3-pointer during the non-region game against Timpanogos in Eagle Mountain on Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023.
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- Timpanogos head coach Golden Ingle watches his team compete during the non-region game against Cedar Valley in Eagle Mountain on Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023.
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- Cedar Valley head coach Blake Pugmire watches his team in action during the non-region game against Timpanogos in Eagle Mountain on Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023.
Tuesday’s non-region boys basketball game in Eagle Mountain between the home team from Cedar Valley and the visitors from Timpanogos turned into a fascinating study of contrasting offensive philosophies.
The Timberwolves, on the one hand, are a squad who loves the 3-point shot. When the long shots are falling (Timpanogos hit nine from downtown in the contest), this team can put up points in a hurry and had shown it winning nine straight games to start the year.
The Aviators attacked in a very different manner. Cedar Valley only hit one triple, instead relying on quickness, passing and the length of junior center Owen Bawden in the middle to go hard to the rim.
Success, particularly down the stretch, had been hard to come by for the Aviators who had come out on top in just one of their first four games.
Which strategy would turn out to be the winning one on Tuesday?
Timpanogos led 52-51 with 1:50 left in the game but from that point on, it was Cedar Valley who made the key plays.
Led by senior Hunter Larson’s big rebounding and free throw shooting, the Aviators pulled away with a 9-2 run to close out the big 60-54 victory over the Timberwolves.
“It’s a lot of fun to win games like these,” Larson said. “The student section was awesome tonight. Beating an undefeated team, there’s not a lot like that. We hadn’t had a lot of reps together as a team, so we’ve been just trying to get back in the mesh of things. Tonight I think we played better as a team together.”
Cedar Valley head coach Blake Pugmire said seeing Larson make the big plays was even more rewarding because of what the senior has been through.
“He is coming off a torn ACL a year ago this month,” Pugmire said. “He came up huge. He was 8-for-8 from the foul line, scored 15 points. got huge rebounds and sealed the win at the line.”
Larson said fighting back from the injury hasn’t been easy.
“It was a big adjustment,” Larson said. “Twelve months is a long time to not play basketball. Getting to this point has been really challenging, physically and mentally. But I think today I was able to finish the game really well, which I haven’t thought I’ve been able to do in the last few games. It’s my fourth game in a year since Dec. 13, 2022, so it’s been fun being out there.”
While he may have felt like he didn’t play as well down the stretch in previous games as he wanted to, he was ready when his number was called against Timpanogos.
He first made a layup to turn a two-point lead into a four-point lead, then calmly drained four straight foul shots when the Timberwolves fouled him at the end of the game.
“Every day after practice, we finish with the free throw ladder,” Larson said. “You try and climb your way up the ladder. I usually shoot on that rim. So that’s what I was reminding myself of as I stepped to the line.
“We shoot 20 free throws and I’m always trying to go 20 for 20. I’m not always able to do it but that’s what I’m reminding myself of, of how many I’ve made to boost my confidence.”
Larson’s tough play was just one example of how the Aviators pulled together. Cedar Valley trailed by as many as 10 points in the first half (after a flurry of Timberwolf treys, naturally) but quickly closed the gap.
“We aren’t a team of superstars,” Pugmire said. “We are a team that is going to have to scrap and play together to be in the right place at the right time and do their jobs. We have to hit contested shots and then get back and play defense.”
Having been through the tough losses already in 2023-24, seeing the scoreboard end up in their favor was a big boost to the Aviator squad.
“It was huge,” Pugmire said. “We’ve had a couple of close games that hadn’t gone our way. Other teams had played more games and were more battle-tested, which I think showed. But tonight we finished better with contact in the second half and made foul shots.”
Larson hopes Cedar Valley learns some key lessons from the victory and applies them as they build for the rest of the season.
“Breaking their press was really important,” Larson said. “We need to get better at knocking down open shots. If we are able to do that, we’re going to be able to win a lot of games. But we need to play team ball like we did tonight, not make dumb decisions. That’s got to be our identity as a team.”
Cedar Valley (2-3) now takes on Sherwood, Oregon, at the Visit Mesa Basketball Challenge in Arizona on Dec. 27 at 3 p.m. while Timpanogos (9-1) next plays East at Juan Diego’s Eagle Holiday Shootout in Draper on Dec. 29 at 5:45 p.m.
