SALT LAKE CITY — Springville coach Justin Snell has put a lot on Paul Terry this season, with the senior guard proving able to deliver at most every turn.
Take Tuesday’s quarterfinal matchup versus Bountiful as the latest example as Terry finished with 21 points and eight assists en route to lifting the Red Devils to a 65-60 win and into the 5A state semifinal round.
“I’ll take Paul every day. He’s been an absolute stud,” Snell said.
The win on Tuesday was the third in the row for the Red Devils, following a bit of swoon late in the season. Tight losses to both Payson and Salem Hills in the span of three games preempted a 12-game winning streak and perhaps prompted some frustration within the team.
Snell sensed it and made certain to visit with Terry late after the team’s loss to the Skyhawks, urging the senior to take it all on himself the rest of the way.
Springville 65, Bountiful 60
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Leading scorers
Springville: Paul Terry 21
Bountiful: Robert Whaley, 31
“He’s one of the fantastic leaders of group, and I just told him we’re going to go with you, and whatever you do, we’re going to be thrilled with,” Snell said of the conversation.
Turns out Terry’s play left a lot to be thrilled about in the win.
From the outset, Terry controlled the flow of what his team was doing on both ends, but really kicked it in gear toward the end of the first half. Trailing 25-24 late, Terry scored all nine of his team’s final points to build what felt like a big 33-27 lead at the break.
From there the Red Devils took over, extending the lead to 42-31 midway through the third quarter and forcing the Braves to play catch-up the rest of the way.
“We stopped turning it over,” Snell said of what lifted his team late in the second quarter and into the second half. “We had six turnovers in the first quarter, and then just one in the second. ... We were a little anxious and guys were a bit too anxious of making Zach (Visentin) the dominating force, and forgot about them(selves).”
It’s somewhat easy to focus on Visentin, given the senior center’s listed 6-foot-9, 260-pound stature coupled with adept skills inside to both score and rebound. For the game Visentin contributed 14 points. on 7-for-11 shooting from the field and nine rebounds while forcing Bountiful to focus away from the perimeter considerably.
Springville’s perimeter players finally started to kick it in gear, along with Terry, to ultimately prove the difference. Big contributions came from Landon Haslem, who hit a big 3-pointer late to help fend off a late charge from the Braves, and from Payton Murphy, who finished with six points and nine rebounds.
“The chemistry on this team is awesome,” Terry said. “I love this team so much and we really have a strong bond with each other.”
Bountiful was led by Robert Whaley and his game-high 31 points, doing his best work late in the game to mount an impressive comeback bid.
“Bountiful is a really good team, and they’re a lot like us. In the fact they can play inside and out,” Snell said. “So we knew coming in today that it was an extra tough matchup for us.”