Timpview beats Mountain View in Region 7 opener

There was quite a turnout for this highly anticipated matchup between the Timpview Thunderbirds (6-4, 1-0) and the Mountain View Bruins (5-5, 0-1). It was both teams' first region game of the season after a break from basketball for the holidays. Both teams were looking for a key win to begin the second part of the season and capture momentum for the tough games ahead. Timpview won the contest, pulling away in the fourth quarter for the 54-39 win.

It was a hard-fought, low-scoring game for the first three quarters of the contest. Both teams played very tough on the defense. However, the offensive drives also saw a lot of aggressive play near the basket. Well-earned layups and expertly placed baskets up against the board were the norm in much of the first half.

Timpview opened the second quarter with back-to-back 3-point shots, which helped them get some of the momentum back in the game as they were came back from a small deficit. Timpview started to find open shots against a tough defensive scheme, and by the end of the first half, they had taken a small lead.

"It was a pretty close, hard-fought first half," said Timpview head coach Perry Wildeboer. "It feels good to have won that one against a good Mountain View team. We hadn't played basketball in something like two or three weeks so we may have felt a bit rusty but I think we played well tonight."

Timpview opened the second half continuing the very tough man-to-man defense. As the game started nearing the climax, things started to get chippy on the court. A bit of pushing and shoving freed the ball up for Timpview forward Eli Robinson, who took it down the court and finished off the play with a dunk.

Mountain View attempted a couple 3-pointers, but hard-nose offense close to the basket was still the story of the game. Patience was key, as both teams passed the ball around quite a bit before shooting, which helped them get the good shots at the basket.

Towards the end of the game, the fans got to see some beautiful passes and layups. Mountain View's Hunter Westwood showed off his arm a bit with a strike down the length of the court to set up a one-on-one fast break which ended in a score for the Bruins.

The score going into the fourth quarter was 33-27, and it was still anybody's game. The trench-warfare style of play that had seemed to dominate the first three-quarters of the game seemed to have been forgotten by the Thunderbirds. They started to score points quickly and took a late lead thanks to hitting their free-throws. Timpview's defense started to tighten up, not allowing Mountain View to make the inside shots that they had been able to make earlier. The Bruins began to put together long, ineffective drives ending in no points and giving the ball back to the Thunderbirds.

Timpview eventually took a comfortable lead late in the game. Late in the game, Mountain View started playing a half-court press but it set up holes inside that Timpview was able to exploit.

"We started taking advantage of that really well late in the game," said Wildeboer, "and we were also able to spread the ball around and find some wide-open three's. We showed patience when we were in the lead and that lead to some good shots. They key, though, to that last little burst there was the fact that we were able to get good stops on defense. We played much better defensively in the second half, and we were really disciplined on defense."

Timpview ended the game in full stride on a 21-12 run and its first region victory of the season.

"I feel like we are in a good position right now," continued Wildeboer. "There were some games earlier in the season that maybe we should have won but the preseason has prepared us well for a tough region schedule ahead. Right now, what we are going to focus on are good fundamentals on defense. We are playing well, but we aren't where we want to be. We're getting there, though. We are starting to come along."

Timpview travels to Timpanogos (3-7, 1-0) next Tuesday to try and keep their momentum alive. Mountain View faces a tough opponent in Provo (7-2, 1-0) on Wednesday, after the Bulldogs downed Lehi in a thriller between two of the best teams in the state.

TIMPVIEW (54)

Warner 8, Nash 3, Covey 8, Sagers 9, Raymond 11, Faulkner 1, Robinson 14. Totals 20 7-14 54.

MOUNTAIN VIEW (39)

Warner 10, Westwood 10, Gourley 14, Schofield 4. Totals 16 7-13 39.

Timpview 5 15 13 21 - 54

Mountain View 8 11 8 12 - 39