HOLLADAY — Sure, it only counts as one victory. Some would say it holds no more meaning or significance than any other mark a team might notch in its win column.
But Timpanogos boys basketball coach Izzy Ingle didn't quite see it that way.
"That's probably the best win our school's had in about 15 years," he said joyfully following Tuesday night's 49-42 Region 7 road victory over Olympus. "Olympus is a great program; (Jake) Lindsey is one of the best players in the state, and coach (Matt) Barnes is one of the best coaches in the state. So when you have one of the best players and one of the best coaches, it's a tough team to beat."
Senior guard Chase Pickett bounced in off the bench to pour in 11 of his team-leading 15 points during the Timberwolves' decisive third-quarter run, senior point guard Josh Allphin scored 10 of his 11 points in the first half, and Tanner Melville added 10 more points to help Timpanogos improve to a league-leading 4-1 in Region 7 and 11-5 overall.
Pickett had a three-point play and a pair of 3-pointers in the T-Wolves' 13-0 run in the third period, and then his dipsy-doodle drive gave the visitors a 39-27 lead going into the fourth quarter.
"He's our sixth man, he's our spark," Ingle said of Pickett. "And he could start for a lot of teams in the state, but he's bought into that role for us.
"We need a spark off the bench, and he obviously was our spark tonight. He gives us a lot of depth offensively and defensively. He knows his role is to come in and light it up, and that's exactly what he did."
Pickett agreed that the sixth-man role wholeheartedly agrees with him.
"I like coming off the bench and providing a spark," he said. "I come in with a chip on my shoulder and it feels good.
"This is a huge win, since we're now ranked No. 1 in the region, so this sure helps us a lot. The tradition at Olympus is hard to beat, but we beat it tonight."
Senior guard Jake Lindsey led Olympus with 16 points, but he struggled with his shooting — he came into the contest averaging nearly 28 points per game — against the Timpanogos defense and his frustrating night ended when he fouled out in the final minute of play.
Miles Keller added a dozen points for the Titans (2-2 Region 7, 12-3 overall).
"We tried to throw different things at him," Ingle said of Lindsey. "A player like that, you have to do some man and some zone, throw different looks at him, different guys on him. He's just such a good player that we tried to mix it up and he still had 16, but at least it's not the 28 he's been averaging.
"We knew we had to play defense and rebound. That team's averaging about 67, 68 points a game. We try to hold teams to 15 points below their average. We're all about defense and rebounding. And then we got lucky enough to knock down a couple shots, which didn't hurt either.”
After Lindsey shot Olympus out to an early six-point lead, Timpanogos answered with an 8-2 run and Allphin's 3-pointer from the top of the key tied it at 11 at the first stop.
Allphin hit a couple more 3's from NBA range early in the second quarter to help the T-Wolves take a 23-22 edge at halftime.
"I don't usually (take those deep 3's)," Allphin said. "But if it's open, then let it fly. Our scheme is just do what you're comfortable with, and that's what I did. For sure, (I gained) good confidence seeing the first one go in and just kept going."
Lindsey's basket gave Olympus its last lead at 25-24 with 6:48 left in the third quarter before Pickett came on to ignite the T-Wolves' game-changing surge.
Timpanogos led by as much as 14 points early in the fourth period before the Titans' pressure defense paid dividends, as Lindsey and Keller fueled a 9-0 run that pulled the Titans back within four points twice, at 42-38 and again at 44-40 with just under two minutes to go.
But the T-Wolves' Mason Day hit 3 of 4 free throws in the final minute, and Melville and Pickett each made a foul shot in the closing seconds as well to help preserve the victory.
"We've been in that situation before and we know we can trust in each other as teammates, and we'll figure out a way to win,” Allphin said.
"It's a huge win for us. But we've got to keep moving, though. We've got (to get) five or six more."
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