SANDY -- The next time the Orem boys basketball team has a few players with flu-like symptoms -- as was the case against Alta Friday night -- the Tigers might consider following this friendly (and free) advice:
Take more Vitamin C. Get lots of sleep. And stay away from Cory Wardle.Far away.
Wardle punished future BYU football player Adam Nelson and the other Tigers who momentarily guarded him in Alta's gymnasium. And in doing so, the Hawks' quick and crafty point guard lifted his team to a tight and exciting 55-52 victory in the Region 3 opener for both squads.
With the poise and precise passing of John Stockton, Wardle directed the Hawks' offense and fired in a game-high 22 points. He was clutch in the final 24 seconds, hitting four free throws to help fend off the Tigers' rally.
"The difference tonight was Cory Wardle," said first-year Orem coach Greg Sheide. "He was tremendous. He just beat us."
Time and time again, Wardle twisted Nelson around on the perimeter with a lightning-fast first step, leading to a number of easy, uncontested shots. He also hit a pair of 3-point shots.
"He did a great job making right decisions on offense," said teammate Garn Smith of Wardle's play. "He wasn't afraid to back it out and pick apart their defense."
"We scouted 'em. We knew what he was going to do, and he just did it," Sheide added.
Because the recent loss of starting guard Greg Carling to an injury depleted the Hawks' depth, Alta coach Ron Carling said his team needs Wardle to have games like that in order to compete in the fiercest of all regions.
"He's a good player. He's been a good player for three years," said coach Carling.
"I just figured I'd take whatever they gave me," said Wardle, who dished off postgame praise to his teammates. "It was fun. I was excited for this one."
The game also featured two of the better big men in 5A, but the battle between Smith and Orem's Vaughn Schouten was relatively quiet. Smith had eight points and Schouten turned in seven points.
Orem made Alta earn this one, getting some good play out of its guardline of Jeff Ford (12 points) and Kevin Gardner (10 points). Jon Harline also had nine points.
It was Gardner who almost single-handedly put the contest into overtime. In the last 18 seconds, he hit two free throws, nailed a 3-pointer and painfully watched as his halfcourt buzzer shot just missed off the rim.
"They could've folded up their tent. I wish they would've," said Carling of Orem, which trailed by as many as seven points early in the fourth quarter.
"Every team's going to have at least one or two losses in this region this year, so one game doesn't make a season," said Sheide, whose squad hadn't allowed more than 50 points to any team prior to this thriller.
The teams battled to a 13-13 tie after the first quarter before Wardle heated up. He then nailed his treys and slipped behind the defense for a layup for eight second-quarter points, boosting Alta to a 26-20 halftime lead.
Alta maintained its lead until the fourth quarter, when Orem -- especially Gardner -- started to put the pressure on. Gardner and Schouten combined for seven points during a 7-2 run midway through the fourth that knotted the score at 44 with under three minutes left.
Dustin Mower then nailed a big 3-pointer to regain the lead for Alta, but Harline answered with an old-fashioned three-point play to put the score at 47-all with 1:37 left.
After that, Wardle made a sweet move for a layup then he made a big defensive play, grabbed the rebound and proceeded to hit both free throws to give the Hawks a 51-47 cushion. He and Brett Schroeder each drilled two more from the charity stripe in the closing moments.