A late change to the defensive scheme nearly sealed a fourth-quarter comeback at home for the Lehi Pioneers.
However, the only issue for Lehi was the Timpview Thunderbirds were not willing to back down.
Timpview stayed firmly in the driver’s seat most of the way through its 50-46 victory over Lehi on Wednesday night.
In the first quarter, the Thunderbirds’ Leah Atuaia caught a hot streak early with nine points while the Timpview defense was forcing turnover after turnover for an 18-16 lead.
“I think our intensity was really good,” said Atuaia. “We were just getting steals and moving the ball well. We were just really organized and talking a lot on defense and that helped us get steals.”
Timpview’s offense struggled in the second quarter with only six points but still held the 24-23 lead at halftime.
It was a different story in the third quarter. Once again Atuaia stepped up with another nine-point frame to push the Thunderbirds’ lead to 41-33.
Despite being a freshman, Atuaia led Timpview in scoring with 21 points, including three shots from beyond the arc.
“It was great, it was fun,” said Atuaia. “(Varsity) is definitely faster paced and it’s a lot more intense. I love it because it just gives me an opportunity to get better.”
Lehi trailed by eight points heading into the fourth quarter and Pioneers head coach Sean Seastrand rolled out a different defensive scheme, going with a 1-3-1 zone.
The Pioneers started trapping in the corners and on the wings, which forced turnovers and low-quality shots.
The scheme worked as Lehi went on a 9-1 run to bring the game within 42-41, and with four minutes remaining Timpview head coach Haley Steed took a much-needed timeout.
“We were talking about the 1-3-1 and how we wanted to attack it,” said Steed. “In crunch time, we want the ball in (Lina Ballin’s) hands. She’s our point guard, she’s our leader, she’s our most experienced player and so that’s where we want the ball.
“We were just trying to set up something where the ball could stay in her hands and we could come set some on-ball screens to kind of relieve that pressure, and then everybody else was just ready because Lina’s a creator. So,we knew that if we could get her in the middle of the paint then she could make decisions, whether that’s a shot or a kick.”
Out of the timeout, Timpview finally got a fourth-quarter field goal from Livia Eyre, then another 3-pointer from Atuaia. Lehi kept it close, but Timpview was navigating through the 1-3-1 defense better and kept a slim lead.
Timpview held a three-point lead with 14 seconds left as Lehi had the ball. The Pioneers got what seemed like a good look from the corner but Ballin came in with a big block to all but seal the game for the Thunderbirds.
“I’m so proud of our team for pushing through that,” said Steed. “We have a young team. We’re pretty inexperienced and the maturity that we showed, especially after they changed defenses, was what I’m probably most proud of tonight.”
Wednesday’s win marks four in a row for Timpview and pushes it to a 7-2 season record.
“I’m just super proud of my girls for battling, especially as it got tight at the end,” Steed said. “They just executed and finished and made plays. I think it was a big maturity jump for us tonight.”