Provo • On a four-game winning streak, with the last an impressive road win, Jordan High was in a position to make another statement at Timpview on Friday.
But the Thunderbirds put a collective muzzle on the visiting Beetdiggers behind 28 points from Hunter Erickson in a 58-37 victory.
Defense was the impetus behind the win as Timpview (13-6, 5-1) forced Jordan (9-9, 4-2) into 20 turnovers and allowed only 30 points until the last moments when the ’Diggers scored the game’s last seven points.
It was the second time the two Region 7 opponents have squared off. The teams also met when league play opened, with the Thunderbirds winning a narrow 54-53 battle at Jordan.
“The first one went kind of similar at the beginning part of the ballgame. We got up 15 but, second half, we kind of let them back in it,” said Erickson, who will stay in Provo after high school to play at Brigham Young.
“This time we did a lot better job of holding the lead and extending it,” he added.For a large portion of the contest, Erickson and Nate Hansen carried the scoring burden almost exclusively for Timpview. Hansen finished with 17 points and he combined with Erickson to sink all 12 of their opportunities at the free-throw line.
Erickson gave his team a boost going into intermission when he swiped a Jordan pass and raced to the other side for a dunk that barely beat the buzzer.
Just before that play, Beetdigger Ben Lisk has tipped the ball away from Erickson and caused a turnover. That gave Jordan a chance to cut the margin to four points before Erickson’s steal-and-slam made the score 23-15 at half.
“Luckily, it got Hunter fired up because he got pushed in the back. That’s why he lost it here in the first place,” Timpview coach Kevin Santiago said. “But that was a monster play that we got it back. It’s plays like that, that’s what you try to teach your kids, the little plays that make all the difference.”
Jordan, led by Dyson Koehler’s 11 points and six rebounds, got back to within five when Koehler hit a shot with 4:43 left in the third. But Timpview closed the period with an 8-2 run and then scored nine of the first 10 points to start the fourth.
The Thunderbirds started the current season on a sour note when senior captain Adam Santiago, the coach’s son, injured his knee five days before the opener.Other weapons besides Erickson have stepped to the fore, including Hansen — who also had over 20 points in Timpview’s previous two games.
“In the first half, we were a little bit anxious going for the kill. In the second half, with two minutes in the third, I just said, ‘Take a deep breath. They’re having a hard time with our D. Let’s turn those stops into points,‘” Kevin Santiago said. “Wait til we get a good shot. Then we have some really good stuff, get Hunter the ball.
“The kid can play ball,” the coach added. “Can that guy play ball or what?”
Storylines<br>• Senior Hunter Erickson paces Timpview with 28 points and seven rebounds while teammate Nate Hansen gets 17 points.<br>• The Thunderbirds, over the end of the third and beginning of the fourth quarter, go on a 24-4 run to put the game away.>br>• Dyson Koehler leads Jordan with 11 points and six rebounds even though he’s saddled with four fouls over much of the second half.
