Orem coach Matt Logan looked at the score book at halftime and shook his head, "Man this is ugly," he said pointing to the large "5" circled under the first quarter column.
Logan could sense the Tigers sluggish start would prove costly. You don't get outscored by Timpview 18-5 in the first quarter and live to tell about it.Despite a strong second-quarter comeback, Orem played catchup for too long Friday night as Timpview improved to 9-0 on the year with a 68-61 win.
"We've got to learn to keep our intensity for 32 minutes," Logan said. "There were times when we played well, but our slow start in the first quarter really hurt."
Timpview came out of the locker room flying high. The T-Birds forced Orem into six first-quarter turnovers, and saw their lead balloon to 16-3, before settling for an 18-5 first-quarter lead.
Orem regained its composure in the second quarter and mounted a comeback. The Tigers took the ball inside by pounding the ball to Ryan Bott and Blake Gardner. The two Tigers combined for 11 points in the quarter as Timpview saw its lead shrink to 26-25 near the end of the first half. Timpview, however, seemed to have an answer for everything.
Just before the buzzer sounded to end the half, the T-Birds got a lift from a Trent Church 3-pointer, giving Timpview a 29-25 lead at intermissoin.
The T-Birds rode that momentum to start the third quarter. A Dan Brooks basket, followed by a Brooks steal, a pair of Nate Cooper free throws, and a Frank Afa power layup, lifted Timpview's lead to 35-25 with 5:48 left in the third quarter.
Orem could get no closer than the final score of 68-61.
Cooper, who recorded a triple-double in the T-Birds last game against Northridge, led Timpview with 22 points, eight rebounds, six steals and seven assists. Brooks had 15 points, and Afa added 11 for the undefeated T-Birds.
Elsewhere in the state:
Alta 75, Northeast Lincoln 65
At Nebraska Prep Classic, Adam Sharp scored 26 points and Brad Willden added 19 as the Hawks (8-1) knocked off unbeaten Northeast, the top-ranked team in the Cornhusker State, to repeat as tournament champions.
Willden earned MVP honors, while Sharp was named to the all-tournament team. Four out-of-state schools competed with four Nebraska schools in the three-day affair.
Panguitch 65, Kanab 52
At the Kanab Cowboy Classic, the top-ranked Bobcats (7-2) outlasted the host Cowboys for the tournament championship as Jared Black led the way with 15 points.
Bonneville 77, Jordan 63
At Bonneville, Dan Stitzer scored 21 points and pulled down 10 rebounds as the Lakers (4-4) buried the Beetdiggers (2-5). Jordan's Kirt Larsen had a game-high 21.
Cyprus 51, Roy 42
At Cyprus, Fred Allen and Chad Huntsman combined for 31 points to lead the Pirates (5-3) past the struggling Royals (1-7). Eric Hall of Roy led all scorers with 18.
Weber 94, Granger 81
At Weber, Nate Wayment, Shawn Moore and Matt Sparrow combined for 49 points to lead the Warriors (7-1) past the Lancers (3-5). Tim Ericksen of Granger finished with a game-high 19..
Layton 74, West Jordan 61
At West Jordan, Brooks Smith, Chad King, Trevor Black and Tyson Murdock combined for 57 points as the Lancers (4-4) jolted the Jaguars (2-7).
Skyline 76, Judge Memorial 68
At Judge, Kyle Gardner led all scorers with 30 points, including five three-pointers, to lift the Eagles (2-6) past the Bulldogs (4-3).
Bountiful 60, Ogden 44
At Bountiful, Brett Allen scored 15 points and James Cahoon added 13 to lift the top-ranked Braves (9-0) over the visiting Tigers (6-3).
Bingham 97, Park City 43
At Bingham, Lance Barnes scored 23 points and Clint Waddell contributed 15 as Bingham (6-3) won the battle of the Miners (0-9).
Payson 53, Woods Cross 49
At Woods Cross, Lincoln Taylor scored 17 points as the Lions (7-3) capped a two-wins-in-two-days stretch by outlasting the Wildcats (2-5). Wade Nielson of Woods Cross matched Taylor's output.
Wasatch 52, Dixie 50
At Dixie, Michael Witkamp finished with a game-high 20 points as the Wasps (5-5) surprised the Flyers (5-5).
Delta 60, Snow Canyon 55
At Snow Canyon, Craig Jensen led the Rabbits (5-4) with a game-high 22 points in a non-region win over the Warriors (5-7).
Hunter 50, Hillcrest 37
At Hunter, Cory Reiser scored 25 points as the Wolverines (5-4) stopped the Huskies (3-5).
Manti 70, Richfield 66
At Richfield, Alan Cox scored 22 points as the Templars (9-2) toppled the Wildcats (6-5).
Beaver 75, Milford 47
At Beaver, Kevin Brown's 21 points powered the top-ranked Beavers (6-0) past the Tigers (4-5). Adrian Jones of Milford finished with a game-high 22.
Escalante 63, Green River 51
At Green River, Heath Spencer scored 18 points to lead the Moqui Indians (5-4) to victory over Pirates (2-5) and game-high scorer Justin Carter, who had 19.
Enterprise 75, Valley 53
At Enterprise, Garrick Jones scored 20 points to Wolves (5-4) to a Region 15 win over the Buffaloes (4-4).
Clearfield 65, Viewmont 62
At Clearfield, Brody Lessey scored 17 points as the Falcons (3-4) upset the fifth-ranked Vikings (7-1) in overtime.
Payson 65, Mtn. Crest 57
At Payson, Lincoln Taylor's 20 points led the Lions past the Mustangs (3-6) in a late game Thursday.