That’s what we want from our guys, make that one extra pass, find each other, trust each other. That’s why they shot like they did tonight. – Timpview coach Kevin Santiago
DRAPER — Chaz Ah You only played a couple of minutes for Timpview on Tuesday, but, indirectly, he had a huge impact on the outcome of the game.
In practice the day earlier as Timpview’s coaching staff was running the team through a bunch of plays, Ah You said, "For a team that doesn’t run very many plays, we sure have a whole lot of them."
The passing comment from his reserve guard got coach Kevin Santiago thinking. Perhaps with the personality of his players and team, maybe he was making the offense too structured.
So on Tuesday in an important game at Corner Canyon, Santiago told his players to just go play ball, and “let it fly.” They happily obliged.
Timpview knocked down 14 3-pointers and shot 62 percent from the field as it held on for the 75-69 victory to keep its Region 7 title hopes very much alive.
Despite the perpetual green light, Timpview’s players spread the ball around with incredible effectiveness as most of the 14 3-pointers — including nine in the first half — came on wide-open looks.
“That’s what we want from our guys, make that one extra pass, find each other, trust each other. That’s why they shot like they did tonight,” said Santiago.
Hunter Erickson led the T-Birds in scoring with 25 points, one of four players who scored in double figures. Nate Hansen finished with 16 points, Jordan Sagers 15 and Adam Santiago with 14. All 15 of Sagers' points came on 3-pointers, while Erickson and Hansen each knocked down four 3-pointers in a game where defense appeared optional at times.
The teams combined to shoot only 10 free throws in the wide-open game that had a preseason feel to it.
That was OK for Santiago, because it allowed his team to play relaxed after dropping two of its past three region games and falling into second place.
“It’s really hard for the other team to have any idea who to guard when we’re not running anything in particular. I was really proud of our guys coming down the stretch,” said Santiago.
The only time Timpview trailed was when the score was 3-2, but despite all those 3-pointers and streaky shooting, it couldn’t put Corner Canyon away.
Trailing by 11 with 1:29 left in the third, the Chargers clawed back and cut the deficit to 61-58 with 4:27 remaining in the game. Back-to-back 3-pointers to Timpview quickly pushed the lead back to nine points.
Corner Canyon wasn’t done again though. Over the next two minutes it ripped off an 11-4 run with Blake Emery draining three 3-pointers during the stretch to whittle the deficit to 71-69 with 1:01 remaining.
The Chargers didn’t score again.
Timpview’s Adam Santiago pushed the lead to 73-69 as he calmly knocked down two free throws with 30 seconds left, and then Erickson put an exclamation point on the win with a breakaway dunk in the waning seconds.
“To come in here under those circumstances, where we’ve got to win, they’ve got to win, it’s nice to see our guys really step up and hit shots and play without fear,” said Santiago.