Taylorsville • Orem point guard Tatiana Monsen looked in control. And with time winding down in the fourth quarter of Thursday’s Class 4A girls’ basketball quarterfinal, the Tigers had never trailed.
The Timpview Thunderbirds never doubted they would win.
"We gave it our all," Timpview guard Lindie Haddock said. "Every single player said, ‘We’re going to win this game.’ "
And the T-birds did just that, as Cherissa Chadwick’s buzzer-beater secured a 48-46 victory.
Trailing late in the fourth quarter, the Thunderbirds went to a full-court press and started creating havoc for the Tigers. Monsen, who scored 16 points and added five assists, turned the ball over twice down the stretch — the last time leading to a pair of Haddock free throws to tie the game at 46.
The Tigers managed to get the ball into their half of the court on the next possession, but turned it over once more, this time on a five-second call.
Timpview coach Casey Cooke gathered her players around during a timeout and drew up a play for Haddock to drive to the basket, hoping for a layup or a foul.
When the Tigers collapsed, triple-teaming her, Haddock saw Chadwick wide open on the left side of the key.
"I knew it was good as soon as it left my hands," Chadwick said of the shot that gave Timpview its only lead of the day.
It was the third meeting of the two teams this year, and Cooke said the Tigers were ready for her Thunderbirds.
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"When you play a team three times, that third time you know everything about every single person," she said. "They were ready for us."
Monsen and Selesitila Tenney, who finished with 10 points on the night, helped get Orem out to an early lead. But the Tigers struggled to find their way on offense in the second. Orem managed just four points in the quarter as Timpview’s Lauryn Dela Cruz helped close the gap to a single point at halftime. Dela Cruz, who played much of the fourth quarter with four fouls, finished the game with 18 points.
Haddock dropped nine points in the third quarter to start the Timpview comeback. She finished with a game-high 21 points and two assists, including one on the game-winner.
"I wasn’t scared," she said afterward. "I knew for a fact we were going to win this game."
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