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Orem's Chance Dastrup (11) drives around his first cousin, Timpview's Mason Ford, during a 5A boys basketball state quarterfinal game at the Huntsman Center on Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024.

Darnell Dickson, Daily Herald

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Timpview's Mason Ford crouches near the bench during the final seconds of a 5A boys basketball state quarterfinal game against Orem at the Huntsman Center on Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024.

Darnell Dickson, Daily Herald

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Orem senior Chance Dastrup directs his team during the Region 7 game against Timpview in Provo on Friday, Jan. 17, 2025.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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When Timpview’s Mason Ford and Orem’s Chance Dastrup dug into this week’s game plan, the familiarity was hard to ignore.

Not only because the two teams played each other just a few weeks ago, but because Ford and Dastrup are first cousins and have been battling each other since they were little kids.

“We’ve played backyard ball, dunk ball, at the church, all sorts of places,” Dastrup said. “One time we were playing in his garage and I dove for a ball. I hit the bottom of the car with my face and I needed staples to close the cut.”

Breaking down each other’s games is just part of getting ready for a big showdown between two of the top teams in Class 5A.

“Mase is a scoring guard,” Dastrup said. “He also likes to facilitate and throw lobs to Dean (Rueckert). He’s a scoring guard that can back you down in the post because he’s tall for a guard.”

Ford, a 6-foot-3 junior and one of Timpview’s team captains, averages 6.9 points and 2.7 assists per game for a balanced club that is 16-4 and No. 3 in 5A RPI.

You can’t talk about Ford without mentioning his hair game.

“His hair is pretty amazing,” Dastrup said. “It’s a nice red floof. I think his mom cuts it. He probably uses some sort of Pomade in it.”

Dastrup is the consummate point guard, a 5-11 senior captain averaging 9.7 points per game. He has 27 3-pointers and leads the No. 2 5A RPI Tigers (17-3) in assists.

“He’s really an unbelievable player,” Ford said. “Our goal is really to get the ball out of his hands. He runs their offense and it’s hard for them to get stuff flowing without him. He’s a really good shooter so you’ve got to go over the screens. He’s a smart player, too.”

Ford’s older brother Coleman, plays at Snow College, which is ranked No. 1 in the junior college polls. A younger brother, Jackson, is a freshman on the Timpview roster.

Much of their basketball talent comes from their fathers. Back in the late 1990s, Shawn Ford was a slashing two-guard for Orem and Dusty Dastrup an all-effort point guard for Timpview.

Now their sons have switched sides and are big reasons of their team’s success.

Last season, Orem and Timpview split two regular season games, both winning on the other’s home floor. The T-Birds came away with a 50-47 overtime victory in the 5A quarterfinals. On Jan. 17, Orem earned a hard-fought 63-55 win in front of a capacity crowd at the Thunderdome.

So the cousins are 2-2 against each other in varsity play.

So far.

“Every night on our team, it could be a different dude,” said Dastrup, who has committed to play at Long Beach State. “We don’t just lean on one guy. Everybody is unselfish and doesn’t care who scores. Everybody is in on winning, not in on themselves.”

Timpview doesn’t have a single senior on the roster and will be one of the favorites when the state tournament begins in a few weeks.

“I think we’re a special team,” Ford said. “We’ve been playing with each other for as long as I can remember. We have really special team chemistry. We share the ball and we know where we’re going to be on the court. We’ve love each other off the court, which makes us even better.”

The rematch between Timpview and Orem on Friday was expected to draw another capacity crowd, this time at the Tigers Den.

“There’s nothing better than putting on a show in front of everybody and showcasing everyone’s talents,” Ford said. “All the fans are going to show out and hopefully they’re going to see what Timpview is.”

Dastrup added: “We’re going to stick with the game plan. We know it’s going to be a fight. We’re going to go out there and do what we do.”

If there is an Tigers-T-Birds 5A final at the Huntsman Center in a few weeks, there would be a lot of anxious Fords and Dastrups with conflicted feelings in the stands.

“That would be very crazy, fun and very cool,” Dastrup said.