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Timpview junior Lina Ballin dribbles up the court during the Region 7 game against Cedar Valley in Provo on Friday, Jan. 5, 2024.

Courtesy Wendy Anae, Timpview athletic director

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Timpview senior Aiaiaga Galea'i goes up for a shot during the Region 7 game against Cedar Valley in Provo on Friday, Jan. 5, 2024.

Courtesy Wendy Anae, Timpview athletic director

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Timpview junior Lina Ballin shoots a free throw during the Region 7 game against Cedar Valley in Provo on Friday, Jan. 5, 2024.

Courtesy Wendy Anae, Timpview athletic director

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Timpview senior Aiaiaga Galea'i sets up in the post during the Region 7 game against Cedar Valley in Provo on Friday, Jan. 5, 2024.

Courtesy Wendy Anae, Timpview athletic director

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Timpview junior Lina Ballin dribbles up the court during the Region 7 game against Cedar Valley in Provo on Friday, Jan. 5, 2024.

Courtesy Wendy Anae, Timpview athletic director

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Timpview senior Aiaiaga Galea'i sets up in the post during the Region 7 game against Cedar Valley in Provo on Friday, Jan. 5, 2024.

Courtesy Wendy Anae, Timpview athletic director

❮ ❯

With her mismatched red-and-green shoes and tenacity for the game, Timpview junior guard Lina Ballin stands out on the basketball court.

She’s one of those players who needs just the smallest of openings to make something exciting happen, whether shooting, driving, passing or playing defense.

And when the Thunderbirds needed her most in Friday’s nail-biting Region 7 battle against a scrappy, determined Cedar Valley team, Ballin was up to the challenge.

Timpview had been unable to keep the Aviators from putting together a big second-half rally, cutting a 13-point deficit to a single point in the final minute.

After Cedar Valley blocked the desperation jump shot just before the shot clock went off, the visiting Aviators had the ball with 16 seconds to go down and take their first lead of the contest.

Cedar Valley quickly got the ball near the top of the key and looked to get the ball inside, where it had had so much success during the third and fourth quarters.

But Ballin refused to let the Aviators even get a shot off.

She swarmed to the ball and knocked it out of the Cedar Valley player’s hands to where freshman Leah Atuaia could grab it, sealing the dramatic 43-42 win for the Thunderbirds.

“Leah did a great job at the top of the zone stopping their player without fouling, and then Lina made a great read,” Timpview head coach Haley Steed said. “She’s very good at timing that. I told her it was really gutsy. It wasn’t something we told her to do or planned to do. It was just a veteran player saying I want to win this game.”

While that was Ballin’s final big play of the night, it was just one of many critical moments she had. Here are just a few examples:

• She had three breakaway layups were her anticipation led to steals and easy baskets, finishing the game with 18 points.
• She had some great drives to draw the defense, then spotted an open teammate for a good look.
• She lofted a 3-pointer midway through the second quarter and banked it in — then did the same thing right before halftime to give the T’Birds a 28-18 halftime lead.
• When the Aviators were making their big run, she had the only Timpview basket in the second half of the third quarter to keep the home team in front.
• She scored the final Thunderbird points of the game when she calmly drained two free throws with 1:32 left to play.
• When a game-tying and-one free throw from Cedar Valley with 55 seconds to play ricocheted off the rim, Ballin was the one who tracked down the rebound.

“I’m especially proud of her for making those plays after playing 32 minutes of being denied everywhere she went,” Steed said. “There was somebody in her face that whole game. I think it’s hard to even understand how exhausting that is. That’s big time. That shows Lina’s maturity. She kept her cool and continued to make big plays for us.”

Timpview started well in all four quarters.

The Thunderbirds scored the first five points of the game, had another 5-0 run to start the second, came out of the locker room with two straight scores (both by Ballin) and made five the first seven points to start the final frame.

Getting the early momentum helped the home team surge in front, but the Aviators refused to go away.

Timpview’s fast start in the third pushed the lead to a game-high at 34-21, but Cedar Valley found an answer in sophomore Hadley Whiting.

Whiting scored 11 of her 13 points as part of a 14-2 Aviator run in the second half that erased the Thunderbird lead and set the stage for the exciting final moments.

“(Whiting) got going offensively and I felt like we didn’t have an answer for it,” Steed said. “She dominated and we had to regroup, do something different because she was killing us. Cedar Valley is scrappy and tough. They throw different stuff at you and have good athletes. They sped us up and made it tough for us, for sure.”

Although it wasn’t always pretty, Steed was pleased that her team held on to get the victory.

“I am proud of them for just kind of gutting it out at the end,” Steed said. “I feel like we came up big defensively. In the last two or three minutes of the game, I felt like we buckled down and got stops that we needed. I was proud of our girls on defense.

“During the course of a season, you’ve just got to figure out how to win games like this. It’s just part of basketball.”

Timpview (10-2) will now head on the road for the first time in league play as it heads to Salem Hills on Jan. 9, while Cedar Valley (9-4) looks to bounce back at Maple Mountain on the same day.

Both games are scheduled to begin at 5:15 p.m.

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