Timpview boys basketball comes up big down the stretch to win at Cedar Valley
-
- Cedar Valley junior Owen Bawden goes up for a shot in traffic during the Region 7 game against Timpview in Eagle Mountain on Friday, Jan. 26, 2024.
-
- Timpview junior Corbyn Hansen goes up for a shot during the Region 7 game against Cedar Valley in Eagle Mountain on Friday, Jan. 26, 2024.
-
- Cedar Valley senior Heath Christensen shoots a shot during the Region 7 game against Timpview in Eagle Mountain on Friday, Jan. 26, 2024.
-
- Timpview sophomore Aisa Galea’i shoots a shot during the Region 7 game against Cedar Valley in Eagle Mountain on Friday, Jan. 26, 2024.
-
- Timpview junior Lina Ballin shoots a shot during the Region 7 game against Cedar Valley in Eagle Mountain on Friday, Jan. 26, 2024.
-
- Cedar Valley junior Gabrielle Hudson goes in for a layup during the Region 7 game against Timpview in Eagle Mountain on Friday, Jan. 26, 2024.
-
- Timpview junior Claire Burningham drives into the paint during the Region 7 game against Cedar Valley in Eagle Mountain on Friday, Jan. 26, 2024.
-
- Cedar Valley sophomore Presley Whiting shoots a shot during the Region 7 game against Timpview in Eagle Mountain on Friday, Jan. 26, 2024.
If you enjoy scrappy, high-intensity basketball with a lot of scoring and players who leave it all on the court, you definitely should’ve been at Cedar Valley Friday night to see the Aviators host Timpview.
The two Region 7 foes played a thrilling game of back-and-forth, up-and-down hoops where the outcome until the final moments.
In those types of game, victory hinges on which team can come up with more clutch plays.
On this night in this game, that turned out to be the Thunderbirds as they got the 78-73 win — but it was by the slimmest of margins.
Timpview led 74-73 with 49 seconds to play, thanks to a cool-as-ice 3-pointer from forward Callen Tollestrup and a pair of free throws from forward Dean Rueckert. But Aviator senior Hunter Larson showed he wasn’t afraid of the moment either as he drilled a trey to cut the home team’s deficit to just one with a 3-pointer of his own.
The Thunderbirds proceeded to run the shot clock down to the very end — including barely avoiding a turnover when a pass was deflected — before the ball got in the hands of sophomore Aisa Galea’i.
The ultra-quick guard exploded to the rim, laying the ball softly off the backboard right before Cedar Valley junior center Owen Bawden could get to it.
That layup gave Timpview the 3-point lead but the Aviators had the ball with 13.5 seconds left and a chance to tie.
But the Thunderbirds came up with one final big play, this time on defense.
Timpview guard Mason Ford jumped in front of a Cedar Valley pass, forcing the Aviators to foul. He made both foul shots with 1.7 seconds left to put the game away.
The visitors led for almost the entire first half thanks to their outside shooting, but the Aviators countered with excellent passing against the Thunderbird press that resulted in a lot of open layups.
Cedar Valley made their biggest run in the second quarter, erasing a 10-point deficit to tie the game at 46-46 at the break.
The home team moved in front in the third quarter and led 62-57 before Timpview closed the quarter with a 3-pointer and an and-one to go back in front 63-62 heading into the final eight minutes.
Neither team led by more than five points in the final stanza, setting the stage for the drama of the final minutes.
Timpview was led by 19 points from Ford. Reuckert finished with 15, Galea’i had 14 and Will Openshaw notched 10.
Larson put in 17 points to pace Cedar Valley, while Bawden score 16 and Heath Christensen tallied 14.
Timpview (12-5) next heads to Wasatch for another Region 7 showdown on Jan. 30, while Cedar Valley (9-8) plays at Springville the same night.
Both games are scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.
Timpview girls basketball rallies for win at Cedar Valley
For more than 2.5 quarters, the Thunderbirds had a terrible time finding points in Friday’s Region 7 game at Cedar Valley.
The Aviator defense put the clamps down, holding Timpview in check as Cedar Valley built a 27-15 lead.
But the Thunderbirds are rarely out of a game when junior Lina Ballin is on the court.
Ballin turned into a one-player wreaking crew, getting rebounds and steals, making layups, drawing fouls and hitting free throws.
She sparked an 11-0 Timpview run to narrow the gap, then helped the visitors keep their composure after the Aviators answered with a couple of buckets of their own.
Foul trouble hurt Cedar Valley as it lost a couple of starters in the fourth quarter. With the score tied at 33-33, the Thunderbirds got a huge 3-pointer from sophomore Livia Eyre to move in front.
Timpview never looked back, moving on to secure the 45-38 victory.
Timpview (14-3) faces a tough road test at Wasatch on Jan. 30, while Cedar Valley (12-6) plays at Springville the same night.
Both games are scheduled to begin at 5:15 p.m.
