Mountain View 77, Timpanogos 44
OREM — Mountain View center Danielle Cheesman is supposed to be taking it easy this week after suffering a concussion during last Friday's practice.
So she took a few days off, and then Thursday night she lit up the scoreboard at Timpanogos High School, scoring 28 points in the Bruins victory over the T-wolves.
Her idea of rest and relaxation might not be the same as her doctor's, but her standout play helped the No. 1 Bruins to a 77-44 win.
"I'm not supposed to have any headaches," she said with a shy smile after the game. She didn't have any pain Thursday night, but she inflicted some upon the No. 5-ranked 5A team. The BYU-bound senior collided with teammate Heather Hansen's knee while the two scrambled for a loose ball at practice. It isn't her first concussion, but it is her most serious.
"This one was a little worse because I blacked out," she said.
Cheesman dominated the middle against a very good Timpanogos team.
Cheesman's defense was as tough as her shooting. She had several steals, including one that she took the length of the court for a layup.
"We were lucky to have her play today," said Mountain View coach Dave Houle. "I was really tickled with the way she played. I knew it would be a physical game, and we have the utmost respect for this (Timpanogos) team. They came out hot, too."
For the first quarter and a half, the T-wolves made Houle sweat a little — something he hasn't done since he took his team to the Nike Tournament of Champions in the preseason.
But turnovers plagued Timpanogos, especially in the second half. The T-wolves didn't score a point in the third quarter for the first five minutes. Coaches called a timeout at 4:28 after the Bruins had three steals and the T-wolves traveled.
Not everything about Timpanogos' game was bleak, however. Emily Durrant played a great game before she rolled her ankle and had to be carried out of the gym at the beginning of the third quarter. She still ended the game as her team's leading scorer with 12 points, two of them three-pointers.
Korbie Tomlinson added 10 and Sarah Hutton added eight points for the T-wolves. Aubrey Van Pelt had five points, but she and Sarah Sherwood played great defensive games for Timpanogos.
The T-wolves just had to contend with one of the country's best teams (ranked No. 5 nationally by USA Today), and they're a group that has every aspect of the game covered.
Heather and Hollie Hansen were suffocating on defense, despite both having chest colds. Heather Hansen was the second-highest scorer with 15 points, including three from the three-point line. Two other Bruins' starters had double digits, Brittany Tressler and Mallary Gillespie each added 12 points. All of Gillespie's points came from the three-point line.
Houle wouldn't compare the ability of this team to past groups who've taken state. He said how they do under the pressure of the state tournament will help him form his opinion. But no mistaking, this isn't your average high school team.
"This is a talented group," he said, "and they're young . . . We're just excited that we're playing well." Both Cheesman, the only starting senior, and her coach know they're the team to beat this season.
"I know we're the big target for everybody," Houle said. "We just try to prepare for all of the games. To go undefeated in this region . . . it would just be an honor."
Adds Cheesman, "There's a lot of pressure, and I know people have expectations for us as a team. But if it does anything, it helps us to be better.
"We're just going to take it one game at a time . . . I don't have any worries about how well prepared we'll be (for state)."
E-MAIL: adonaldson@desnews.com