First Week of 2011

Timp Sports Weekly

January 11, 2011

Publisher's Message

For this week's issue, we look at how the Awesome American Fork Cavemen, Ferocious Pleasant Grove Vikings, Lone Peak Knights (AKA the Loners), and Lehi Pioneers (AKA the Froggies) did in high school basketball during the opening week of 2011. We will also look at how the Froggies hopped all over the Granger Lancers in a boys' endowment basketball game played at Lehi Dec. 30. As they say at Orem High, let's bounce right to those stories.

Dean Von Memmott

Publisher

deanmemmott@hotmail

Provo Bullpuppies Outlast Lehi Girls' Basketball Team 41-36 Jan. 8

By Dean Von Memmott

Timp Sports Weekly Publisher

The opening week of 2011 went down as a frustrating time for Lehi Pioneer girls' basketball coach Troy Gifford. With Lehi having won only three games in preseason play, the Pioneers, AKA the Froggies, went into the first week of the new year, facing three tough teams: the Westlake Thunder, Mountain View Bruins, and Provo Bulldogs.

In their first Region Four game, played at Lehi, the Pioneers got electrocuted by the Thunder, AKA the Shockers, during Jan. 4 action. The Froggies hopped over to Mountain View Jan. 6 to redeem themselves in a game against the Bruins, AKA the Teddy Bears. However, the T-Bears mauled Lehi 80-50. Despite that bruising experience, Lehi went down to Provo, where the Froggies showed that they could play a close game with the Bulldogs, AKA, the Bullpuppies. However, commissions of small mistakes at wrong time caused Lehi to be defeated 41-36 in the Bullpuppies' gym.

The first quarter opened with much promise for Lehi. Stealing the ball from a Bullpuppy, Lehi's Trisha Quilter passed to Anau Falaeo for a layup to put the Froggies ahead 2-0. A "distant cousin" of the late actor William "Bill" Holden, Shelby Holden evened the game at two, and teammate Louisa Orton hit a trey to put Provo ahead 4-2. Aided by Falaeo's second straight bucket, Sadie Johnson hit a go-ahead shot that opened fueled a 10-0 scoring run for Lehi. Provo's Melaina Morales sank a trey at the end of the quarter to cut the lead to 12-7.

The second period proved to be eventually fatal to Lehi. Provo commenced an attack on the Froggies' five-point lead early the quarter through Kelci Koop hitting an inside shot. When two Morales free throws put the Bullpuppies within 12-11, Lehi fans gasped. Would Provo slip ahead and this time control the game for the rest of the night? Troy's daughter, Madyson Gifford tried to prevent the answer from turning out to be yes. As soon as Pioneer Brooke Barnes had pulled down a defensive rebound, she connected a long pass to Madyson for a successful shot. It turned out to be the only two points that the Frogs received during the quarter. A stingy Bullpuppy defense held them scoreless until the early second half. In the meantime, a Noa Talia bucket paved the way for Sierra Williams, a "distant relative" of music composer John Williams, to put the Bullpuppies ahead 15-14. Two Talia foul shots left the Bullpuppies barking proudly about their 17-14 lead at halftime.

The new half opened with Morales hitting a free throw. Remembering that the first half had ended with her teammate Trisha Quilter missing two free throws, Pioneer Aerin Ogden sank a trey to renew Lehi scoring. The three-pointer opened an 8-3 scoring run for the Froggies. After Quilter had tied the game at 20 on a layup, Ogden broke the deadlock. The third quarter went down as a seesaw battle. A relative of former pro football player Robbie "Zoobie" Bosco, Alexis Bosco opened a 7-1 scoring run for the Bullpuppies late in the third quarter. It ended with Provo leading 29-23.

Early in the fourth quarter, Ogden scored six straight points to tie the game at 29. Kelsy Langness put Lehi ahead 31-29. However, the Bullpuppies refused to roll over and die. Rebounding a missed Morales free throw, Holden tied the game, and teammate Michelle Isom stole the ball, then sank a tie-breaking layup. Lehi stayed closely behind Provo. An Ogden trey tied the game at 34, giving Lehi a fresh chance of pulling back out in front. The Froggies received a big blow, however, the moment Falaeo drew a technical foul while the score was still deadlocked at 34. While Falaeo had to leave the game, Falia hit two tie-breaking shots. Two Quilter foul shots tied the game at 36. At 1:05, Lehi called a time-out for an inbounds play. The execution of it turned out to be a fatal disaster to the Froggies. An inbounds pass ricocheted off a Lehi player's knee and bounced out of bounds. The turnover quickly came back to haunt Lehi, for Samantha Kohler put the Bullpuppies ahead 38-36. Three Morales foul shots clutched the game for Provo.

Ogden led Lehi with 16 points while Falaeo added another 10. Talia led the Bullpuppies with 10 points and Morales added another nine.

PG Girls Open Region 4 Play With Home Win Over Brighton's Bad Old Puddy Tats

By Dean Von Memmott

Timp Sports Weekly Publisher

The Ferocious Pleasant Grove Vikings opened Region Four girls' play at home Jan. 4 by defeating the Brighton Bengals, AKA the Bad Old Puddy Tats, 59-57.

Pleasant Grove Coach Glenn Larson said, "Going into this game, we knew they were a really good team of three-point shooters. So what we did was to try to make them turn the ball frequently over before they could get chances for hitting threes."

Led by Shelbi Everett and Mikayla Mosley, the Bad Old Puddy Tats outscore the Ferocious Vikings 12-6 in the first quarter. The second quarter saw the Ferocious Vikings turn the game into a vicious fight for the lead. Marci and Britney Johnson joined Kourtney Dinehart and Becky Clement in battling the Brighton players for rebounds. Mosley and and Everett found the Johnsons and particularly Clement to be equal matches in fights on the boards. Late in the second quarter, Britney Johnson put the Ferocious Vikings ahead 21-19. The half ended with Everett hitting a foul shot.

The second half opened with Everett sinking a go-ahead shot that caused a long series in trades in the lead. Clement held her own in the second half and she would constantly slip into the keyhole and pull down boards. Late in the third quarer, a Marissa Egbert trey put the Bad Old Puddy Tats ahead 32-30, and teammate Mary "Wheels" Murdock sank a free throw that put the score at 33-30, the Bad Old Puddy Tats' biggest lead of the quarter. With Clement sinking an inside shot, Dinehart nailed a go-ahead trey for the Ferocious Vikings. However, the third quarter ended with the Bad Old Puddy Tats tying the game at 35.

Pleasant Grove's Danyele "Panther" Hoffman opened the fourth quarter with a tie-breaking foul shot. All throughout the second half, she constantly hunted for opportunities to steal. Whenever, she would steal the ball, she would either go on to sink a layup or pass to a teammate for a close shot. Helped to keep the game close. During one steal, Hoffman tied the game at 56, but a Mosley foul shot put the Bad Puddy Tats ahead 57-56. Marci Johnson sank a bucket and a free shot to put Pleasant Grove ahead 59-57. The Bad Old Puddy Tats tried for a three-pointer in the final five seconds, but Britney Johnson rebounded the shot.

Larson said, "We had a special play ready to deal with them sinking a last-second three. It's a relief Britney came through for us on that play."

Clement led Pleasant Grove with 18 points while Hoffman added 13, and Britney Johnson 12. Everett led the Bad Old Puddy Tats with 22 points while Mosley added another 11 and Egbert 10.

Loners Prove to Be As Devastating As Locusts to Jordan Plowboys in Jan. 5 Game

By Dean Von Memmott

Timp Sports Weekly Publisher

The Lone Peak Knights, AKA the Loners, swarmed into the Jordan Beetdiggers' Sandy gym Jan. 6 and proved to be as devastating as locusts. Jordan's hopes of harvesting a home win got devoured by the Loners, who swarmed away with 71-52 win over the Beetdiggers, AKA the Plowboys.

The game opened with Loner Jordan Hamilton hitting an inside shot. After Plowboy Addison "Walt" Walter had pulled down a defensive board, Alex "Hawk Eye" Hawkins produced a three-point play that put their team ahead. Hawkins swished in a three-pointer, but the Plowboys' control of the lead soon became a thing of the past. Aided by a Nick Emery bucket, the Loners soon charged ahead 8-5. Jordan tied the score at eight, but a Talon Shumway put the Loners ahead, and T.J. Haws, a son of former Hillcrest Puppy Zach Haws, hit a trey that locked Lone Peak's hold on the lead. The quarter ended with the Loners ahead 19-10.

The second quarter saw Haws and Emery swish in shots that quickly produced a double-digit lead for the Loners. Loner Brody Berry came up with steals that robbed the Plowboys of golden chances to reduce the point spread to single figures. At the same time, Plowboys Taylor Loomis and Taylor Dean often got smoked in battles for rebounds. Often, Loners Mason Smith, Josh Buck, and Bubba Stratton came down with defensive boards that led to the game turning into a blowout. During the course of the second period, Lone Peak outscored the Plowboys 18-8.

The third period went down as a vain battle for Jordan to keep the Loners from stretching the lead past the 20-point mark. Early in the period, Hamilton dunked a shot to put the score at 40-20. Berry produced a three-point play that gave Lone Peak a 47-25 advantage. Late in the quarter, John "And Away We Go" Gleason hit an inside shot that opened a 10-6 scoring run for the Plowboys, putting them within 55-38.

However, with Berry sinking a trey and Hamitlon swishing in a jumper early in the fourth quarter, the Plowboys couldn't put together a strong scoring run to save them. As the Loners put away the Region Four opener, their teen fans shouted, "We love Quincy! We love Quincy!"

They had all the more reason to love Loner Coach Quincy Lewis later on the week when his players won at home against the Brighton Bengals, AKA the Bad Old Puddy Tats.

In the Jordan game, Emery led the Loners with 12 points while Smith, Hamilton, and Berry each contributed 10 points. Loomis led the Plowboys with 13 points while Hawkins added another 10.

Awesome AF Cavemen Fend Off Jordan Plowboys 60-43 in Jan. 7

By Dean Von Memmott

Timp Sports Weekly Publisher

The Awesome American Fork Cavemen fended off the Jordan Beetdiggers, AKA the Plowboys, during Region Four boys' basketball action at American Fork Jan. 7. The Awesome Cavemen defeated Jordan 60-43.

American Fork built up a 7-2 lead in the game's first six minutes. Led by Quincy Bair and Nate Ensign, the Awesome Cavemen created a lead as wide as 19-9 in the period. Jordan trimmed American Fork's advantage to 19-11.

In the second period, the Plowboys snatched the momentum from the Awesome Cavemen. Led by Mark Krueger, a brother of local baseball star Mason "I.M. Knot Freddie" Krueger, the Plowboys held American Fork to five points in the period. A Trent Nielson jumper opened a long scoring run for the Plowboys as the Awesome Cavemen spent the whole quarter battling to stay ahead. After an Austin Waddoups layup had put the Caveman lead at 24-16, no more American Fork scoring occurred in the half. Unsurprisingly, Krueger, helped by a John "And Away We Go" Gleason bucket, produced a three-point play that tripped Jordan ahead 25-24 at the half.

For a little while, Jordan continued staying ahead in the second half. The Plowboys' lead swelled as wide as 28-24. Mikey Wells hit a three-pointer that marked a strong comeback for the Awesome Cavemen. As soon as a Bair had put American Fork within 30-29, Marcel Davis fed a pass to Wells for a go-ahead shot. A trey, sunk by Alex Ross, a "distant cousin" of the famous Betsy Ross, tightened the Caveman hold on the lead. Bair said, "When Alex hit that trey, it improved our confidence against Jordan."

After Bair had produced a three-point play, Jordan's Addison Walter stole the ball, but the buzzer sounded the quarter's end before he could sink a layup.

American Fork started pulling away early in the fourth quarter. Ensign put a shot back in, and Davis hit two foul pitches that led to the Awesome Cavemen soon owning a 45-31 lead. Attempts to reduce the point spread to single digits proved to be vain for the Plowboys. The combined shooting of Bair, Davis, and Ensign kept the Cavemen up by more than 10 points. Danny Beddes, Tyler Flinders, and Morgan "Mo" Flinders contributed rebounds that helped to keep American Fork way ahead during the entire final quarter. Jordan's Ryan Nemelka got so frustrated with his team's fourth-quarter situation that he drew a technical foul.

American Fork Coach Craig Meacham said, "We just need to stay aggressive all four periods. We let them back in the second period, and it took us a little while to get the momentum back. In the second half, we wore them down. We let them make the turnovers. We had only eight turnovers in the entire game.

"Quincy Bair was a real, big asset in coming up with assists and steals for us tonight. Davis had 11 rebounds and seven assists. Nate Ensign pulled down seven boards for us."

Bair led American Fork with 15 points while Davis and Ensign each added another 11. Krueger led the Plowboys with 15 points while Nemelka and Walter each added another seven

Lehi Froggies Defeat Granger Lancers In Dec. 30 Endowment Game

By Dean Von Memmott

Timp Sports Weekly Publisher

AKA the Froggies, the Lehi Pioneers posted a 69-60 win over the Granger Lancers, AKA the Stickers, in a Dec. 30 endowment game played at Lehi.

It took Granger a little while to become a threat to the Froggies. Ryan Christofferson's shooting sparked Lehi into striking out to a 9-0 lead. Granger's Isaiah Tademy hit an 17-footer that began a slow comeback for the Stickers. By the time they finally got hot in scoring, they found Lehi leading 15-2. An Emir Osmanovic trey opened an 8-0 scoring run for Granger late in the first quarter. Layups by Tademy and Bakata Justin put the Stickers within 15-11 at the end of the period.

In the second period, Colton Colledge became Lehi's top rebounder and shooter. His domination of inside scoring and rebounding became extremely critical as the Lancers jabbed their way back into the game. With a Deng Deng bucket putting Granger within 20-18, Lehi had little time to prevent a tied score. Christofferson swished in a field goal and thee foul shots to extend the Froggie lead to 25-18. Teammate Zach Stanley came up with a key steal that prevented the Lancers from getting another chance of tying the game before halftime. Colledge became hot inside the keyhole, enabling Dusty Draeger to hit a trey that gave Lehi a 33-24 lead at the half.

The second half opened with Justin pulling down a defensive board and opening an attack that culminated in Deng tipping a shot in. Stanley swished two foul shots and a field goal that improved Lehi's lead at 37-26. For most of the third quarter, the Pioneers stayed ahead least 10 points ahead despite aggressive efforts from Justin, Tademey, and Austin Scott. Those three Lancers battled Colledge, Christofferson, and Brad "Mr." McGregor for rebounds all through the second half. Lehi's control of the boards enabled the Pioneers to maintain their double-digit lead well into the fourth quarter. Midway through it, though, Tademy hit two straight treys that allowed Granger to charge within 55-49. McGregor hit an inside shot, and a Stanley bucket improved Lehi's lead at 59-49. Granger never got closer than six points to Lehi.

Colledge led Lehi with 18 points while Christofferson addded another 15, Draeger 14, and Stanley 13. Tademy led Granger with 21 points and Deng added another 10.

Lehi Coach Craig Gladwell said, "They came out slow against us, but they showed they couldn't be blown out. We had to make adjustments at halftime, so we make a better effort at guarding the right people. Colledge came did a good job for us inside the paint."