Froggie-Loner Hoop Game

Timp Sports Weekly

February 19, 2013

Publisher's Message

For this week's issue, we look at the Feb. 15 boys' basketball game between the Lone Peak Knights (AKA the Loners) and the Lehi Pioneers (AKA the Froggies). The contest was one about two squads of contrasting extremes. Ranked No. 1 in national high school basketball polls, the Loners boasted an unbeaten Region Four record. As for the Froggies, they were winless in region play, and although they did win three games on the road, they had not won a single home game this season. Let's hop straight to  the story to find out if Lehi finally did pick up a home win.

Dean Von Memmott

Publisher

magnanovelist@gmail.com

Lone Peak Loners Silence Lehi Froggies 90-71 in Region Four Boys' Hoop Play Feb. 15

By Dean Von Memmott

Timp Sports Weekly Publisher

In Region Four boys' basketball action Feb. 15, the Lone Peak Knights, AKA the Loners, silenced the Lehi Pioneers, AKA the Froggies, 90-71 at Lehi. 

During the first quarter, the Loners had trouble keeping the Froggies from hopping ahead of them. After Loner Talon "Ted" Shumway, a "distant cousin" of TV comedy character Alf Shumway, got the opening tipoff, Lone Peak drew a violation. The Froggies quickly capitalized on it. A Blake Cleveringa trey put the Froggies on the board first. Before Lehi could build upon its 3-0 lead, Froggie Chris Macula drew a technical foul. A brother of BYU Zoobie hoop star Jackson Emery, Slick Nick Emery hit a technical foul shot, and teammate Eric "Stuffer" Mika laid in a dunk shot to tie the game at three.

Ninth-grader sensation Frankie "That's All Right" Jackson nailed a jumper to poke the Froggies ahead 5-3. The ninth-grader proved to be the Froggies' big gun through the course of the game. Jackson's impressive shooting would prove not to be enough to enable them pull off one of the greatest prep basketball upsets of 2013.

A very close relative one-time Zoobie basketball star Andy Toolson, Connor "Mr. Terminator" Toolson tied the game at five, only to see Jackson give the Froggies a 7-5 lead. Soon, Tanner Pittard puled down a defensive rebound for the Froggies and connected a long pass to Collin Anderton for an inside shot.

The Froggies' 9-5 lead gave their fans something to be quite happy -- correction, quite hoppy about. Froggie fans jumped about excitedly as they expected Lehi to stretch its lead wider. However, Shumway hit a trey that caused the tempo to shift slowly to the Loners' way. Even though two Jackson foul shots widened the Froggie lead to 11-8, Shumway continued working on setting the stage for Lehi getting dried up in the quarter. Shumway produced a three-point play that tied the game at 11, and he then swished in two tie-breaking foul shots. Cleveringa hit a go-ahead trey in hopes that the Froggies would be ahead at the end of the first quarter. 

A distant cousin of David Dean, Utah's state 3-A MVP for 1976, T.J. Haws hit a trey that not only put the Loners ahead 16-14, but it also sent them on a 21-0 scoring run that slipped over into the second quarter. During that long shooting spree, Emery wowed Loner fans with steals and layups while Talon and Shumway dropped in devastating three-pointers. By the time Cleveringa renewed Lehi scoring with a trey, the Loners had built up a 37-17 lead. Cleveringa became the Froggies' main shooter in the first half's final four minutes, but Lehi couldn't closer to the Loners than 15 points.

In the third period, the Froggies didn't let the Loners push the lead past the 21-point mark. However, despite efforts from Anderton, Jackson, Cleveringa, and Derik Beeston, the Froggies couldn't reduce the lead to single digits. No Froggie could shut down Emery, Mika, or Haws. Those crack shots frustrated Lehi's defense to no end. By the end of the third quarter, the Loners commanded a 72-54 lead.

The fourth quarter opened with Jackson and Jordan Peck guiding the Froggies on a 6-2 scoring run that put them within 74-60. The Loner defense didn't let the Froggies get any closer than 14 points in the quarter. While Loner fans went wild over a Shumway dunk shot, Emery produced steals that eventually lead to Toolson hit a trey which improved the Loners' lead at 85-64.

Jackson finished his fantastic evening with a trey that put Lehi within 85-67. Jackson soon left the floor with the other Lehi starters to watch Froggie second-stringers like Jacob Barnes and Dallin Driggs play out the final two minutes of the game. It ended with Loner McKay Webster hitting two foul shots to put the final score at 90-71.

Jackson led the Froggies with 25 points while Cleveringa added another 16. Emery led the Loners with 21 points while Haws and Mika each added another 15 and Shumway 11.