Royals

Timp Sports Weekly

March 2, 2010

Publisher's Message

For this week's issue, we look at the Awesome American Fork Cavewomen's octafinal win over the Roy Lady Royals, AKA the Queens, in state 5-A girls' playoff action. We then look at how the Lehi Pioneers swished away the Mountain View Bruins, AKA the Teddy Bears and T-Bears, during jayvee and varsity action at Lehi Feb. 24. Let's get to those stories.

Dean Von Memmott

Publisher

deanmemmott@hotmail.com

Awesome AF Cavewomen Open State Playoff Action With 73-56 Win over Roy Queens

By Dean Von Memmott

Timp Sports Weekly Publisher

The Awesome American Fork Cavewomen opened their state 5-A playoff campaign with a 73-56 win at home over the Roy Lady Royals, AKA the Queens, Feb. 23.

The game opened with Queen Alissa Willard getting the opening tipoff. She connected a pass to Jessyca Fulmer for a successful set shot. Roy's 2-0 lead didn't last long. Awesome Cavewoman Amy Krommenhoek wiped it away through sinking a three-pointer and an inside jumper. Even thought Willard evened the game at five on a three-point play, Cavewoman Hayley Su'a'filo hit a go-ahead shot that sparked a 10-2 scoring run. Krommenhoek guided that shooting spree with her deadly accurate marksmanship. Laini Kalumbi and Su'a'filo also produced shots that gave the Cavewomen a 22-10 lead at the end of the first quarter.

During the first four minutes of the second period, the Cavewomen held the Queens to three

points. At the quarter's midway point, Kalumbi pulled down a defensive board and zipped away for a layup that improved American Fork's advantage at 33-13. Willard sank an inside shot that set off a 10-2 scoring run for the Queens. Through Willard and Fulmer's collaboration, Roy battled back within 35-23. However, a fastbreak play went bad for Roy at that point, and American Fork capitalized on that misfortune of the Queens'. Su'a'filo and teammate Shelby Carson sank inside shots that kept American Fork's lead in double figures, despite an aggressive effort by Willard. Her shooting put the Queens within 39-29 by halftime.

The third quarter opened with Cavewoman Grace Farnsworth hitting a three-pointer. It marked the start of Farnworth's impressive, second-half performance. She pulled several crucial, defensive rebounds for her Awesome Cavewomen. Farnworth's teammate Kenzie Moeai joined her in battling Willard and Fulmer for rebounds. Most of the time in the half, Moeai and Farnsworth prevailed over those two Queens. 

Aly Gray hit three treys in hopes of tipping the momentum back to the Queens' favor. That hope evaporated, however, as the octafinal's second half progressed, even though Roy answered American Fork point for point in the third quarter. The Cavewomen stayed more than 10 points ahead during the game's last two periods. 

As the fourth period opened with the Cavewomen going on a 7-0 scoring run, the question was not whether they would last until the quarterfinals. The question was when by how far American Fork would dethrone the Queens. When Cierra Mitchell produced a three-point play to open fourth-quarter scoring for Roy, the Lady Royals made a last-ditch effort to survive the game. However, after Willard, the Queens' biggest gun, had fouled out at 2:34, their effort collapsed. 

American Fork Coach Corey Clayton said, "We knew this was going to be a pretty scrappy game. Roy is a pretty scrappy team. They did not fade away, even though we kept the point spread in double figures.

"Amy [Krommenhoek] got us going with her outstanding performance in the first quarter. Shelby Carson came up with some great rebounds. So did Kenzie Moeai, Grace Farnsworth, and Hayley Su'a'filo.

"Roy played a box and one to try containing Amy. However, we have players to come in to cover for her like Shelby Carson. Carson has proved time and time that when she comes off the  bench at crunch, she can come through for us."

Krommenhoek led American Fork with 16 points while Kalumbi added another 15, Farnsworth 11, Carson 11, Moeai 10, and Su'a'filo eight. Willard led the Queens with 25 points while Fulmer and Gray each pitched another 13.

JV Lehi Pioneers Flood Out Mountain View T-Bears 45-46

By Dean Von Memmott

Timp Sports Weekly Publisher

The Lehi Pioneers' junior varsity boys' basketball team finished its season at home Feb. 24 by flooding away the Mountain View Bruins, AKA Teddy Bears and T-Bears, by a score of 45-36.

With Dusty Draeger and Ryan Pittard as the Pioneers' chief shooters in the first quarter, Lehi rowed out to an early 9-2 lead. However, after it had grown to 11-2 on a Pittard shot, Forrest Jensen and Zach Oldham led the T-Bears on a 6-0 scoring run in the first quarter's final two minutes.

Early in the second quarter, Pioneer Landon Peters stole the ball and passed to Brad McGregor for a layup. That turned out to be the last time that Lehi scored in the first half. Using a defensive zone with stunning effect, the Teddy Bears deny the Pioneers lots of good spots for shot selections. Meanwhile, a Jess Larsen layup sent the T-Bears on 9-0 scoring that left them roaring proudly with a 17-11 lead in their paws at intermission.

In the early second half, Pittard and Draeger led the Pioneers on an 8-2 scoring run that tied the game at 19. Teddy Bear Rob Smith broke the 19-19 tie, but Draeger's shooting became a lifesaver for the Pioneers. When a Draeger trey put Lehi back ahead 23-21, the Pioneers knew that they still had a chance of finishing their season with a win. Nevertheless, the Bruins refused to capitulate. Those Teddy Bears used Jensen and Addison Shurtz's foul shooting to secure a 26-25 lead at the end of the third quarter.

For the final quarter, a Draeger three-point play and two McGregor foul shots launched Lehi out to a 30-26 advantage. However, a Kadan Curran trey put Mountain View within 30-29. Before the Teddy Bears could pull ahead again, Pioneer Colton Colledge scored on an offensive rebound. Lehi used Colledge's bucket as a springboard for jumping away from the Teddy Bears. Foul shots from McGregor and Pittard clutched the game for Lehi.

Draeger led Lehi with 20 points while Pittard added 10, McGregor seven, and Peters four. Oldham led the Teddy Bears with nine points, while Jensen added seven, Smith seven, Shurtz five, and Hunter Westwood two.

Lehi Varsity Boys Drown Mountain View Teddy Bears 68-34 in Region 7 Boys' Hoop Finale

By Dean Von Memmott

Timp Sports Weekly Publisher

In a varsity boys' basketball finale at Lehi Feb. 24, the Lehi Pioneers drowned the Mountain View Bruins, AKA the Teddy Bears and T-Bears, 68-34. The win left Lehi in sole possession of second place in Region Seven standings, thus giving the Pioneers homecourt advantage in the state 4-A octafinals March 2. 

The game opened with T-Bear Kolton Gourley, nephew of former Awesome American Fork Cavewoman volleyball player Shauna Green, getting the opening tipoff. A Mountain View player launched the game's first shot, which Lehi's Will Walker rebounded. He streaked away and cut through a defensive zone that the Teddy Bears had hastily formed in hopes of containing him. He still scored the night's first bucket anyway. Mountain View's Taylor Warner answered that shot with a three-pointer. The T-Bears couldn't stay ahead for long. Scott Henderson hit a three-point shot that sent Lehi swimming way ahead of Mountain View. Josh Scott and Zach Stanley's combined shooting created a 12-3 advantage for the Pioneers.

 Gourley briefly ended the Teddy Bears inability to score by hitting a jumper late in the first quarter. It ended with Lehi croaking proudly about its 14-5 lead.

A Cody Hauver jump shot sparked a 5-0 scoring run for Lehi during the second quarter's first four minutes. A distant cousin of Awesome American Fork Cavewoman basketball player Kenzi Moeai, Kevin Moeai opened second-period scoring for Mountain View. In the half's final four minutes, the T-Bears outscored the Pioneers 7-5. Mountain View's scoring run got highlighted by Hunter Westwood sinking a trey and Roy Rob Smith nailing an inside shot, only to miss a free throw right afterwards.

With Lehi taking a 26-14 lead into the next half, the Teddy Bears found themselves facing a strong likelihood that their hopes for post-season play would get flooded away in this game. Mountain View needed a win at Lehi in order to have a prayer for making it to post-season. However, in the third quarter, Walker became hotter inside the key, and no matter how many times the Teddy Bears adjusted their zone to contain him, he kept invading the key from spots they wouldn't expect. Gourley's shooting kept the lead from going past the 20-point mark until Pioneer Ryan Christofferson put the score at 41-21. Christofferson's bucket sounded the death knell for the T-Bears' season. Lehi's Jordan "Mr." McGregor helped to make sure of that with his scoring and rebounding.

Mountain View's chances for state were gone by the fourth quarter, the Teddy Bears still came up with some thrilling plays like Conner Salmon's sinking a layup on a steal. With Walker, Scott, and Henderson controlling the boards, Lehi soon found it all right to let its reserves have a go at the Bruins. Second-stringers like Brendon Memmott, Ryan Pittard, and Dusty Draeger showed as much aggressiveness out on the floor as Lehi's starters did. While Memmott and Pittard took control of the boards, Draeger wowed hometown fans with a trey.

Lehi Coach Craig Gladwell said, "It was a tough spot for Mountain View to be in tonight. They had to win here in order to be able to go on to the playoffs. We needed to win to secure a secure a second-place seed in the tournament. Josh Scott and Will Walker really did well in taking command of the boards. Those two guys work so well together. Mountain View sought to use a zone to contain Will, but he had enough floor smarts to know where to go where they wouldn't expect him to come into the paint. Zach Stanley is a team leader. He proved to be that as a point guard. Though he didn't score in double figures, he did come up with plays that enabled Will to be really dangerous inside."

Walker and Henderson led Lehi with 13 points each while Christofferson, McGregor, and Stanley each posted a score of seven. Gourley led the Teddy Bears with eight points, and Warner added another seven.