Ogden • Ty Nielsen didn't see Jalen Moore until it almost was too late.
Almost.
The two senior leaders of this year's Sky View Bobcats connected eyes up 18 points late in the fourth quarter on a fast break that resulted in a hammer dunk for Moore, the final field goal of his memorable 28-point night.
"Love it," Nielsen said, who finished with 15 points and seven rebounds.
The seniors capped their Class 4A first-round game with Timpview on Tuesday night at the Dee Events Center with an exclamation mark and in fitting fashion with a steal, gorgeous pass and a flush.
That was much of the way Sky View's 78-58 win over the Thunderbirds went.
The Bobcats pressed early and they pressed often, and their across-the-board length and athleticism allowed them to disrupt the Timpview passing lanes that resulted in a multitude of high-percentage shots. The Bobcats shot 32 of 56 from the field.
"The last couples games," Sky View coach Kirk Hillyard said, "that's what we've been trying to do, getting things going to the basket."
It's working.
Most of Timpview's 20 turnovers were deflections or steals by the long arms of Moore, Nielsen and senior Matt Dewey.
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"When we play good defense," Moore said, "we get easy shots."
Pretty simple.
But Moore's first-round outing was more than just defense. It was a little bit of everything. He dunked, followed shots, spun shots off the backboard at difficult angles. He dominated.
He finished with a game-high 28 points on 11-of-15 shooting along with seven rebounds, four steals and three assists. It was a cosmic improvement from last year's 38-31 first-round loss to Skyline, a game in which Moore scored just six points.
"I think me and Ty came out thirsty," Moore said. "We came out and we were ready to go."
Moore said in recent years Sky View has obtained the label of a "one-and-done" playoff program.
Moore, Nielsen and the rest of the Bobcats erased that phrase from the chalkboard Tuesday.
"We just don't want to lose," Nielsen said.
ckamrani@sltrib.com
Twitter@chriskamrani
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