Awesome AF Cavewoman and Caveman Basketball

Timp Sports Weekly

February 23, 2016

Publisher's Message

As the high school basketball season winds down during these next two weeks, we're devoting this latest issue to two road wins that the Awesome American Fork Cavewomen posted last week.  Also, with much reluctance, we will deal with the Lehi Pioneers, AKA the Froggies, hopping past my Awesome American Fork Cavemen in a riveting -- correction, ribbiting boys' basketball game played at American Fork Feb. 19. Let's go straight to those stories.

Dean Von Memmott

Publisher

magnanovelist@gmail.com

Awesome AF Cavewomen Tame Ferocious PG Vikings 81-38 in Feb. 16 Hoop Action

By Dean Von Memmott

Timp Sports Weekly Publisher

In Region Four girls' hoop action at Pleasant Grove Feb. 16, the Awesome American Fork Cavewomen tamed the Ferocious Pleasant Grove Vikings 81-38.

The Awesome Cavewoman, who led the taming of the Ferocious Vikings, was Taylor Moeaki. American Fork Coach Corey Clayton said, "Because she had been injured earlier in this season, PG hadn't seen her play before. So she totally shocked them with her playing, especially when she would shoot. She came out as our top scorer tonight."

Aided by fellow Awesome Cavewomen Taylor Franson, Jenna Shepherd, and Shire Stephenson, Moeaki guided her team in outscoring the Ferocious Vikings 28-10 in the first quarter.

In the second quarter, the Ferocious Vikings made Malli Valguardson their main as they tried to overcome the double-digit deficit. Valguardson scored 12 of the Ferocious Vikings' 14 second-quarter points. Shots from Stephenson and Moeaki kept the Awesome Cavewomen ahead in double figures during the quarter.

In the third quarter, Ferocious Vikings Sara Hamson, Brooklyn Dahl, Sadie Nixon, and Alexus Reeves came forth to participate with Valguardson in vicious battles against Awesome Cavewomen Sydney Bishop, Brittany Palmer, and Paige Farnworth for rebounds. Hamson managed to score on two offensive rebounds that she made in the second half. Still, the Awesome Cavewomen held her to five points in the game. Farnsworth hit two treys in the second half to help American Fork stay more than 20 points ahead.

Valiant defensive efforts from Awesome Cavewomen like Addy Holmtead, Jenna Shepherd, and Jaime Shepherd enable American Fork to hold the Ferocious Vikings to 14 points in the last half.

Moeaki led American Fork with 31 points while Farnsworth added another 11. Valguardson led the Ferocious Vikings with 22 points while Nixon and Hamson each added another five.

Awesome AF Cavewomen Soak Up 81-46 Win at Lehi Feb. 18
By Dean Von Memmott
Timp Sports Weekly Publisher

The Awesome American Fork Cavewomen finished their Region Four campaign with an 81-46 win on the court of the Lehi Pioneers, AKA the Froggies, Feb. 18.

The web-footed players of the home team did attempt to make the contest a strong challenge for the Awesome Cavewomen. Receiving the night's opening tipoff, Froggie Taylor Takahashi passed to Katie Peck for the night's first bucket. Awesome Cavewoman Taylor Moeaki pulled down a defensive rebound and cut away to sink a tying layup. A niece of Utah State basketball legend Eric "Franny" Franson, Taylor Franson scored on a steal to put American Fork ahead 4-2. Though shots from Froggies Katy Peck and Bryanna Raff did tie the game at four and six, the Awesome Cavewomen didn't let the Froggies leap ahead again. Once a Moeaki trey broke the tied score 6-6, the Awesome Cavewomen went on a 27-4 scoring run led by Moeaki and Jenna Shepherd. When the first period ended with Shepherd sinking a layup on a steal, American Fork commanded a 33-10 lead.

The second period opened with Froggie Brooklyn Heaton scoring in a full-court pass. A Shelby Jenkins jumper then reduced the American Fork lead to 33-14. Just as the Froggies looked as thoughn they were about to hop back into the game, Awesome Cavewoman Savannah Empey hit a three-pointer that gave her team the momentum to maintain a double-digit lead. Shots from Jenkins and Peck sawed the lead down to 36-18. Aided by a Paige Farnsworth trey, Franson sank a layup that kept American Fork's lead from slipping underneath the 20-point mark.

Taking a 53-21 lead into the second half, American Fork had its entire bench see action on the floor in both the third and fourth quarters. This gave Awesome Cavewoman players like Colleen Katoa, Brittany Palmer, Addy Holmstead and Kylee Andrus, a "distant cousin" of Hollywood actress Ursula Andress, a chance to come up with steals and great rebounds. On one play, Katoa stole the ball and raced full-court straight to the Lehi basket, only to miss a layup. Despite that miss, the Awesome Cavewomen kept everyone of Lehi's players from scoring in double figures, though Froggie Aleya Zenter scored six of her seven points on two treys.

Moeaki led American Fork with 19 points while Jenna Shepherd added another 10. Peck led Lehi with eight points while Jenkins and Zenter each added another seven.

Lehi Froggies Hop Past Awesome AF Cavemen in Ribbiting Feb. 19 Hoop Thriler
By Dean Von Memmott
Timp Sports Weekly Publisher

The Awesome American Fork Cavemen were aside themselves Feb. 19. For the first time in seven years, the Lehi Pioneers, AKA the Froggies, had beaten them twice in boys' basketball in one season. Having already flooded away my Awesome Cavemen at Lehi last month, those web-footed hoopsters hopped over to American Fork on Feb. 19 and jumped all the way home with a 66-57 win. It gave the Froggies something to croak about for years to come.

With Feb. 19 being Senior Night at AF, the hometown crowd counted on their team's 12th-graders to guide the Awesome Cavemen in drying up the Froggies. American Fork's lead gun, Spencer Johnson put the Awesome Cavemen on the board first. Froggie Ethan Tuckett tied the game at two. A "distant cousin" of comic strip character Beetle Bailey, Brenden Bailey broke tied scores of 2-2 and 4-4 during the course of the first quarter. After Froggie Blaze Nield clipped the lead to 6-5 on a free throw, Beetle Bailey's "distant cousin" pulled down an offensive rebound and put the ball back into the hoop. An Ethan Tuckett trey tied the game at eight just before the first quarter break.

Bailey's rebounding delayed a Froggie takeover of the lead during the early second period. Awesome Caveman Benji Judd broke the 8-8. However, the Awesome Cavemen couldn't build upon their 10-8 lead. Nield hit a free throw, and then he wished in a bucket that put his Froggies ahead 11-10. Shots from Nield and Tanner Nygren improved Lehi's lead at 14-10. With teammate Braden Condie hitting a three-pointer, Johnson soon capitalized on Nygren's missing the front end of a one-and-one. Johnson hit foul shots that put the Awesome Cavemen back out in front 15-14. A tying, Nygren trey paved a path for the Froggies to leap out to a 21-17 lead. A Dallin Hucks trey put American Fork within 21-20 just before halftime.

Nield dominated scoring in the early third quarter even though Awesome Cavemen Jake Whitehead and Zach McWhorter stepped forward to challenge Lehi seriously on both the boards and the floor. Even though a McWhorter bucket put American Fork within 24-23, Nield and Marcus Draney guided the Froggies in stretching their lead out 33-25. Johnson guided a 10-0 scoring run which climaxed with McWhorter tying the game at 33. Whitehead broke the tie, and switches in the lead ensued.

The frequent changes of ownership of the lead continued into the fourth quarter. When Johnson scored on an offensive rebound to put American Fork ahead 39-38, the Awesome Cavemen looked as though they would finally drain Lehi dry. However, Froggie Chase Berry, a "distant cousin" of rock pioneer Chuck Berry, puled down some key rebounds that Lehi capitalized on. After a Tuckett bucket had put the Froggies back out in front 40-39, Berry went to work on pulling down very important rebounds, sinking free throws, and hitting great field goals. Berry's most important bucket of the game was the one he hit on an inbounds play that put Lehi ahead 55-45 in the last two minutes of regulation play. Free throws by Nygren, Nield, and Draney clutched the game for Lehi, even though Johnson and Whitehead guided a valiant effort to lead American Fork back within 57-52.

Lehi Coach Shawn Yeagar said, "Besides hitting some really important shots, Chase Berry pulled down some really big boards for us, enabling us to pull this game out."

Nygen led the Froggies with 25 points while Nield added another 15. Johnson led the Awesome Cavemen with 21 points, and Whitehead added another 10.