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Timpview sophomore Aisa Galea'i drives to the basket during the 5A semifinal game against Alta at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2024.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Timpview players celebrate a big shot during the 5A semifinal game against Alta at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2024.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Timpview sophomore Dean Reuckert goes up for a shot during the 5A semifinal game against Alta at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2024.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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For three quarters of Tuesday’s 5A semifinal game at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City, the Timpview boys basketball team did an incredible job of keeping top-seeded Alta at bay.

The Thunderbirds used a big run at the end of the first quarter to seize control and then came up with a response every time the talented Hawks tried to even the score.

But the game is four quarters and finally in the last period, Alta got the momentum it needed erase the deficit.

It was the Hawks who made the key plays down the stretch and ended Timpview’s tournament, 72-60.

“Alta is a really good team,” Thunderbird head coach Izzy Ingle said. “I think our guys did a great job battling through some adversity here. They weren’t getting very many calls throughout the game but they just kept playing through it.”

Timpview led by as many as 12 points early in the second quarter and was up 49-41 midway through the third quarter.

But, as everyone knew, the Hawks weren’t going to fold without a fight.

Alta closed the quarter on an 8-3 run to cut the T’Bird lead to three, then drained a trey to start the final frame and knot the score at 52-52.

“We were up three to start the fourth and they hit a tree right off the bat on their very first play and tied it,” Ingle said. “Momentum is everything in sports, and that kind of shifted the momentum for them. But we bounced back and it kind of went back and forth.”

Alta’s lead was 57-55 when things got much more difficult for Timpview.

A Thunderbird turnover resulted in a foul on sophomore Dean Reuckert, who had had a phenomenal game with 25 points. It was his fourth and the Hawks immediately attacked, drawing Reuckert’s fifth foul and removing him from the ball game.

“When Dean fouled out, it became tough for us to get some of the shots we would normally get,” Ingle said.

Alta used that boost to finish off a 10-0 run and Timpview couldn’t find a way to rally down the stretch.

The Thunderbirds also got 11 points from sophomore Aisa Galea’i and eight points and 10 rebounds from sophomore Mason Ford.

The Hawks were paced by 21 points from senior Jaxon Johnson, while senior Carter Doleac added 18 points and seven rebounds. Alta sophomore Zak Paepke ended up with 16 points off the bench and kept his team close when Timpview had the advantage.

Although Timpview felt like it could’ve gone all the way and was disappointed with the loss, the Thunderbirds are a very young team and will look to learn some valuable lessons from the defeat.

“I’m super proud of our team throughout the whole season,” Ingle said. “We’re young. We start four sophomores and a junior. Our guys were just kind of been overcoming obstacles the entire year. We have a lot to be proud of.”

He said he pushed his team from the start and was pleased to see how they responded.

“Our guys just never lost faith in our coaching staff or in each other,” Ingle said. “They just kept building and kept getting better throughout the year.

“To win a region championship and make it to the semifinals, there’s a lot to be proud with that. I think there is a lot to build on. We’re going to be a really big problem for a lot of people in the next couple of years.”

Alta moved on to the 5A title game where it will face the winner of the Highland-Olympus semifinal that took place late Tuesday night. The championship will take place at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Friday at 4:30 p.m.