Lehi • This kind of basketball tradition is something residents in the northern section of Orem could get used to.
The Timpanogos Timberwolves have wrapped up a region title for a second year in a row after two decades of looking at the boys’ basketball region standings from below.
That’s with a week, including two more league games, left in the regular season.
Timpanogos, ranked second in Class 5A, accomplished that by pulling away late from Skyridge for a 62-53 victory.
“You have to give credit to Skyridge. We had ‘em down eight or 10 closing the first half, and they went on a [13-0] run and really kind of punched us in the face right there,” said Timberwolves senior Derik Eaquinto, who led his team with 22 points. “We knew at halftime that we were going to have to battle with them. We did just enough.”
The game was tied at 51-51 when Colin Christensen canned a baseline 3-pointer with 4:20 remaining to put Timpanogos (16-6, 8-0) in front for good in the Region 8 contest.
After Skyridge (12-9, 5-3) failed to score, a driving layup by Matt Norman gave the Timberwolves a 56-51 lead with 2:45 left. Norman scored all eight of his points in the fourth quarter.
The visiting Falcons, led by 22 points from Ryan Reid, stayed within a single possession when Trevon Snoody hit an 8-foot jumper.
But that’s when Timpanogos did two things to put the game under wraps First, the Timberwolves successfully ate up more than a minute on the clock, and when the possession finally ended, it was Tyler Walker who saw an opening to the basket for a layup and a 58-53 lead with 1:13 left.
“What we want to do when it [the clock] is down like that and we’ve got a three-point lead, we’re trying to get a wide-open 3 or a wide-open layup,” Eaquinto said. “Or make them foul us. We don’t take any contested shots and make sure we get points out of it.”
The game started with Skyridge making a pair of technical free throws, awarded because Timpanogos’ scorebook wasn’t ready at game time.
The Falcons, after falling behind 31-22 in the third quarter, put together a 13-0 run, including eight points from Reid, for a 35-31 advantage. But Timpanogos got a long 3-pointer from the top of the key by Walker with 27 seconds left before half to trim the deficit to a point.
“They had one winning season in 20 years. And we get here and the players have really bought into our season,” said Timberwolves coach Izzy Ingle, now in his fourth year, including three with a winning record.
Walker finished with 12 points to supplement Eaquinto’s productivity. Eaquinto, also a star pitcher for the school’s baseball team, was the tallest player on the court for the home team.
At the end, he also was filling the role as the team’s point guard.
“He’s the biggest competitor I’ve ever met in my life,” Ingle said about Eaquinto. “I really feel like if anybody thought they could tie their shoes faster than him, he would die trying to prove them wrong.”
TIMPANOGOS 62, SKYRIDGE 53 <br>• Timpanogos wraps up the Region 8 title with the win. <br>• Derik Eaquinto leads the Timberwolves with 22 points while Tyler Walker adds 12. <br>• Skyridge 5-foot-9 senior guard Ryan Reid also finishes with 22 points.
