January 11, 2010
Publisher's Message
For this week's issue, we look at four basketball stories and an account of the Lehi Pioneer wrestling team's final home win against the Mountain View Bruins, AKA the Teddy Bears or T-Bears. Three of those stories cover contests that could have ended in any team's favor. Let's get to those stories.
Dean Von Memmott
Publisher
deanmemmott@hotmail.com
Lehi Grapplers Finish Home Season With 49-29 Win Over Mountain View T-Bears
By Dean Von Memmott
Timp Sports Weekly Publisher
The Lehi Pioneer wrestling team finished its home season with a 49-29 win over the Mountain View Bruins, AKA the Teddy Bears or T-Bears, in a dual meet Jan. 7. The win left Lehi as the only undefeated team in Region Seven standings.
Lehi Coach Dan "Mr. Nice" Rice said, "They [his grapplers] wrestled with lots of intensity. So they were able to way out in front early. This was an important dual meet for us since we and Mountain View went into this with unbeaten region records."
The meet opened with Mountain View's 125-pounder, Sam "The Rising Sun" Chun taking a 2-1 lead over Dallin "The Stallion" Rice. The Rising Sun couldn't keep The Stallion under control for long. Rice pulled ahead on a reversal, and he went on to win 8-2 over The Rising Sun.
The 130 weight class bout didn't last a full first period. Forty-five seconds into the match, Lehi's Koy "Squeeze Toy" Ash pinned Chris "Big Gun" Chun, brother of The Rising Sun. Ash's victory sparked a streak of Lehi pins.
In the 135 weight class match, Lehi's Tanner "The Buck" Eastmond wrestled Hugo "The Tiger Shark" Ruelas to a 0-0 in the first period. In the second period, though, The Buck pinned The Tiger Shark.
Taking a 4-1 lead over Mountain View's Kaika "Hard Roll" Cole, Justin "The Throttle" Cottle pinned him in the second period of their 140 weight class match.
T-Bear Ryder "The Bright" Wright quickly became outmatched by Lehi's Logan "Dog Pound" Brown in their 145 weight class battle. Rolling out an to early 7-1 lead over The Bright, Brown pinned that Teddy Bear within two minutes of the match.
A 152-pound wrestler, Lehi's Trevor "The Handsome" Hansen pinned Ty "The Outlaw" Shaw so quickly, that the Pioneers looked as thought they would keep their streak of scoring falls going.
However, Mountain View's Zach "Hard Tack" Taylor stunned Lehi fans through pinning Riley "The Great Dane" Anderson 30 seconds into their 160 weight class match.
In the 171 weight class match, Mountain View's Bennett "The Silver Hammer" Maxwell secured a 5-1 lead over Lehi's Braxton "The Quick" Southwick. Though the Quick did jump back within 5-3 on a reversal, the Silver Hammer still pinned him in the third period.
Pioneer Taylor "Il Toro" Savio set off another streak of Lehi pins during his 189 weight class match against Taylor "The Sower" Story. Il Toro built up an 11-0 lead in the first two period. Just when the match looked as though it would end in a technical fall, Savio pinned Story.
Lehi's Bubba "The St. George Dragon" Demke pinned Riley "The Tor" Moore 40 seconds into their 215 weight class match.
By pinning Lehi's Garrett "Big Boom" Bolles, 285-pounder Clancy "Thunder Bolts" Holz reminded Pioneer fans that the Teddy Bears were still capable of scoring wins in the dual meet.
The 103 weight class match between Lehi's Logan "The Fightin' North Briton" Passey and Slammin' Ammon Gafney went down as the evening's tightest contest. Slammin' Ammon secured leads of 3-2 and 8-5. However, The Fightin' North Briton continued showing the ferocity of his Scottish ancestors. Passey tied the match at five and eight. Soon, The Fightin' North Briton pulled ahead 11-8. Slammin' Ammon scored a takedown just before the final buzzer, but that move occurred too late to save him. Passey won 11-10. A Mountain View coach protested the outcome of the match, and the referee fine the Teddy Bears one point.
Lehi's 112-pounder, Andy "The Hun" Tilley didn't last a minute against Naakaki "The Navajo Ram" Tsosie. The Mountain View wrestler pinned Tilley a half minute into their match.
After battling Mountain View's Cam "The Mean Lamb" Urbach to a scoreless tie in the first period, Steve "The Corsair" DuBose pinned his 119-pound foe in the second period, ending the dual meet.
Lehi Pioneer Girls' Hoop Team Open Region 7 Play With Home Win Against MV T-Bears
By Dean Von Memmott
Timp Sports Weekly Publisher
The Lehi Pioneers improved their Region Seven girls' basketball record at 2-o by taking down the Mountain View Bruins, AKA the Teddy Bears or T-Bears, 56-43 at home Jan. 5.
Lehi Coach Troy Gifford said, "Tonight, our girls learned to play all four quarters of basketball. Also, we were the aggressors. We proved we could be able to keep attacking the basket."
The win came in the aftermath of a home loss to the Lone Peak Knights, AKA the Loners, four days before. Eager to atone for that defeat, the Pioneers hopped out ahead of the Teddy Bears early in the contest. As soon as Lehi's Katie Rogers had caught the tipoff, she paused to Chelz Atoa for a three-point shot. It sent the Pioneers jumping out to a 7-0 lead. Before Lehi could move any further ahead, two Shanna Halielle foul shots opened a 6-0 scoring run for the T-Bears. Foul shots from teammate Mika Pinner enabled Shanna to tie the game at eight on an offensive rebound. To Lehi fans' relief, Briar Sands broke the 8-8 deadlock, and she stole the ball at the end of the quarter.
The second period opened with Rogers scoring through an offensive rebound. The ensuing quarter witnessed a combined shooting of Sands and teammate Gabby Grantham extend Lehi's lead out to 10 points four times. Also, Grantham harassed the Teddy Bears with steals. Maddie Beeton along with twins Shanna and Shaynne Halille guided Mountain View efforts to keep the point spread from extending beyond 10 points. The Bruins couldn't get any closer to the Pioneers than eight points during the quarter. It ended with Lehi leading 26-16.
In the third period, Mountain View's Lindsey Ezola hit a three-pointer that sparked a strong T-Bear comeback. The Teddy Bears held the Pioneers to seven points in the quarter as Mountain View clawed its way back into the game. Gifford said, "Whitney Cook came up with some big-time plays for us, especially in the third period."
Hitting a three-pointer right after Ezola had done so, Cook came up with steals and rebounds that permitted the Pioneers to maintain their lead as T-Bears such as Pinner delivered big slashes to it.
With Pinner cutting the lead to 33-31 by sinking a quarter-ending shot, Mountain View had a real chance of winning on the Pioneers' home floor like the Loners had done four days before. In the fourth quarter, Pinner produced a three-point play that gave the Teddy Bears a 34-33 lead. Mountain View's stint in the driver's seat didn't last a minute. Two Sands foul shots tipped the Pioneers back out front. Upon making a defensive rebound, Grantham connected a pass to Anau Faleano for a successful jump shot that prevented a Shanna Halille trey from putting the Bruins back out in front. Pioneer Jackie Cattani came up with steals, three fourth-quarter points, and some defensive rebounds to help tighten Lehi's hold on its narrow lead. Besides producing key assists, Cook hit a jumper that kept the T-Bears from placing their paws on the momentum. Free throws from Rogers and Cattani gave Lehi the fuel to pull away in the game's final two minutes.
Cook led Lehi with 11 points while Sands added another 10. Shanna Halille led the Teddy Bears with 14 points while Pinner added another 12.
Awesome AF Cavemen Lose Region 4 Opener At Home to Jordan Plowboys
By Dean Von Memmott
Timp Sports Weekly Publisher
After having enjoyed a successful preseason in boys' basketball, the Awesome American Fork Cavemen suffered a heartbreaking loss Jan. 6 when the Jordan Beetdiggers, AKA the Plowboys, rode into American Fork and defeated them 54-51 in a Region Four opener.
American Fork Coach Doug Meacham confessed, "We lost our composure after the first period. We committed dumb fouls, and we did everything out of character. We gave up lots of layups and free throws to them. When we're defending down the stretch, we have to watch out for little things that can cost us games. We need to be better defenders.
"In the first half, we let [Joe] Mero hit some threes that hurt our momentum. They [Jordan] went to the foul line more frequently than we did. They went to the line 31 times and we 19.
"We need to attack the basket more often instead of going for jump shots."
The Cavemen had complete ownership of the first period. A Jake Blackhurst sent the Cavemen swinging their way out to a 9-0 lead through Marcel Davis' scoring. After the Cavemen's scoring run had climaxed with a Ben Beddes trey, an Alex Hart bucket put the Beetdiggers onto the scoreboard. Those Plowboys had trouble grabbing the momentum in the first period. Caveman Quincy Bair hit a 10-foot jumper and a trey to put the score at 16-4. After the Cavemen's lead had grown to 18-4, Jordan went on a scoring run led by Kevin Goldsmith. When a Goldsmith trey had put the Plowboys within 23-20, the Cavemen had to forget about the game returning to being a cakewalk. Late in the second period, Beddes drew a technical foul when American Fork led by just 27-26. Mero hit a technical shot that tied the game at 27. Caveman Mike Wells hit a tie-breaking trey, but Goldsmith sank a layup that enabled Mero to put the Beetdiggers ahead 32-30 on a three-point shot just before halftime.
Early in the next half, Beddes hit two foul shots and a three-pointer to put the Cavemen back ahead 35-32. With help from two Blackhurst foul shots, Beddes put the score at 40-32. A Goldsmith three-point play opened a 10-2 scoring run that ended the third quarter in a 42-42 tie.
In the final quarter, the Cavemen didn't hold up well under the stress of the tight game. They frequently fouled the Beetdiggers. A Nate Monson foul shot, for example, put Jordan ahead 43-42. Jordan's high accuracy at the foul line kept the Cavemen from pulling back ahead, despite battling back within one point several times.
Beddes led American Fork with 16 points while Davis added another 13. Goldsmith led Jordan with 18 points and Mero contributed another 15.
Provo Bullpuppies Soak Up Lehi Girl Pioneers 52-26 in Region 7 Play
By Dean Von Memmott
Timp Sports Weekly Publisher
The Lehi Pioneer girls' basketball couldn't make it through its current without a region loss. In a Region Seven battle at Lehi Jan. 8, the Provo Bulldogs, AKA the Bullpuppies, soaked up Lehi 52-36.
With Ashley Kuchar as their biggest gun, the Bullpuppies took 10-6 lead in the first quarter. Even though Lehi did stroke within 10-7 in the second period, Provo rowed out to a 20-10 lead. Katie Rogers and Anau Faleano led Lehi efforts to keep the game close. When the first half ended with Provo leading 22-14, the Pioneers still had a chance for hopping back into the game.
However, Kuchar became really hot in the second half. The Pioneers couldn't shut her down anywhere on the floor. Kuchar's shooting gave the Bulldogs a double-digit lead. Gabby Grantham did put Lehi within eight points a few times on steals, but Kuchar's scoring remained impossible to cool down. Kuchar finished the game with 24 points. Grantham and Rogers led Lehi with 11 points each.
Provo Bullpuppies Survive Tighten Region 7 Boys' Opener at Lehi
By Dean Von Memmott
Timp Sports Publisher
In a Region Seven Boys' basketball opener at Lehi Jan. 8, the Provo Bulldogs, AKA the Bullpuppies, outlasted the Lehi Pioneers 48-46.
A Keith Moor sent the Bullpuppies out to an 8-2 lead. During the game's early minutes, Ryan Durrant dominated Provo scoring as Lehi had some difficulty with putting an effective offense together. Soon, Willie Walker and Ryan Christofferson got the Pioneer scoring machine at top speed. The Pioneers battled their way back within 21-17 during the first quarter.
In the next quarter, though, Kyle Collinsworth replaced Durrant as the top Bullpuppy scorer. He hurt Lehi tremendously inside the paint. Besides frequently barging his way through for layups, he frustrated Walker and Christofferson on the boards. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs outscored the Pioneers 15-8 in the second quarter.
After Provo had improved its lead at 38-25 in the early third quarter, Walker orchestrated a strong Pioneer comeback through his shooting and rebonding. Teammate Josh Scott frequently pulled down defensive boards that Lehi changed into buckets. The period ended with a Scott basket putting Lehi within 42-37.
Walker's offensive efforts finally paid off for the Pioneers. In the final quarter, he put them ahead 43-42, but Collingsworth scored on an inbounds pass to restore the lead to Provo. Walker came really close to forcing the game into overtime when he tied the score at 46 through a three-point play. However, with only four seconds left, Collingsworth rushed his way through Lehi's 1-2-2 zone defense to score the winning basket.
Collingsworth led Provo with 18 points and Durrant added another 11. Walker led Lehi with 23 points while Scott added another 10.
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