Some high school basketball teams are strong on the inside but lack guard play. Others enjoy great shooting from the smaller players but are missing the big guys inside.
Springville showed it’s the rare team with a combination of both on Saturday as it used the inside play of 6-foot-9 Zachary Visentin and outside play of Paul Terry and Cooper Riggs to beat Timpview 66-53 and win the Class 5A boys’ state title.
“It is a complete team,” said Springville coach Justin Snell. “We have a great big guy who can score when we need it. We have a great point guard who can take a guy off the ball. And they are surrounded by guys who can shoot. It’s really a unique group of eight seniors.”
The Red Devils used a dominating second quarter where they outscored the Thunderbirds 13-2 and limited Timpview to two free throws to capture their first state title since 2017.
“We were able to take away the penetration and get them to settle for some outside shots,” said Snell, whose team finished the year with a 22-5 record. “Thankfully, we were able to rebound, which let us extend things.”
SPRINGVILLE 66, TIMPVIEW 53
• Springville holds Timpview to two free throws in the second quarter to take control.
• Red Devil big man Zachary Visentin finished with 16 points and 12 rebounds. Cooper Riggs has 13 points while Paul Terry contributes 12 points and eight assists.
• Jake Wahlin leads Timpview with 15 points and 11 rebounds.
The Thunderbirds didn’t quit and managed to rally within eight in the second half. But they never recovered from that nightmarish second quarter.
Visentin was a rock on both ends of the floor, gathering big rebounds and seemingly hitting a big shot every time his team needed it.
“It was tough,” said Visentin, who finished with 16 points and 12 rebounds. “They had some really good bigs. It came down to us and we wanted it more. It feels amazing.
Riggs keyed the first half spurt while Terry scored eight of his 12 points in the second half as Springville kept Timpview at bay. Riggs finished with 13 points and seven rebounds, while Terry had 12 points and eight rebounds.
Timpview got a big game from Jake Wahlin, who had 15 points and 11 rebounds, while Coleman Ford added 12.
In the end, though, the Red Devils were too strong both inside and out.