High school boys basketball: Orem defeats Timpview in literal Region 7 brawl

War’s “Why Can’t We Be Friends?” played from the speakers in Orem High School’s fieldhouse just minutes after an on-court altercation between Orem and Timpview Friday night.

The rivalry game brought enough tension, but the implications on the Region 7 standings only hightened the emotions. Timpview’s only in-region loss was to Orem on January 17, so the Thunderbirds were eager to get revenge.

However, Orem defended its home as it held off Timpview in a 55-50 victory.

“I think it’s the best atmosphere in Utah high school basketball whenever we play,” said Orem head coach Jace Tavita. “Usually it’s sold out, nowhere to sit and two really good programs just battling it out.

“We’re fortunate to be on the winning side both times because it could go either way. I think it’s great for Utah high school basketball for sure.”

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Orem took a slim 21-19 lead after the first quarter with Tigers star and BYU signee Chamberlain Burgess leading the way with 11 points, including three 3-pointers.

Timpview star Dean Rueckert, meanwhile, helped keep the Thunderbirds right with Orem with two 3-pointers of his own in the first quarter.

The game turned much more defensive after the high-scoring first quarter, but Orem still managed to hold onto a 29-27 halftime lead. The new defensive tone made it difficult to score, but Orem got a much needed lift from Utah State signee Jax Allen.

Allen led the Tigers’ scoring effort in the second half with 11 points and was also Orem’s leading scorer on the night with 21 points, including two 3-pointers.

“(Allen) is awesome because I don’t have to take all the scoring.” Burgess said. “Some games can it can be Jax, some days it’s Ryker (Mikkelsen), or Chance (Dastrup).”

Orem continued to find some separation thanks to its defense and lack of turnovers in the second half. The Tigers were rewarded with a 47-40 lead with three minutes left in the game.

“We just kind of hunkered down on defense and stuck with the game plan a little bit better,” Tavita said. “We just made it really tough on them defensively. I think we had two quarters where we held them to single digits, which is great.”

As the clock started to dwindle, the Orem lead was becoming more and more insurmountable. With 11 seconds left in the game, a scuffle started on the court during a rebound and benches cleared while refs and coaches were frantically trying to separate the teams.

The Utah High School Activities Association sportsmanship policy states that if a coach or player is ejected due to violent behavior, the individual can be suspended for at least two games, along with any other additional penalties from the school or school district.

The policy also states that if a player leaves the bench area to begin a confrontation or leaves these areas during an altercation, then that player may be subject to an ejection and officials may terminate the contest.

One or both teams may forfeit the contest as well.

However, the officials Friday decided to assess a technical foul to each team’s bench without any ejections and there were no penalties for players who left the bench during the altercation.

Ultimately, Orem held on for the win over its region rival. The victory keeps Orem with a perfect record in Region 7 at 8-0, while Timpview fell to third in the region standings with a 6-2 record.

An Orem win next Tuesday against Salem Hills would guarantee at least a shared region title for the Tigers.