Springville has enjoyed a three-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will square off against the Timpview Thunderbirds at 5:15 p.m. on Friday. Springville will be strutting in after a victory while the Thunderbirds will be coming in after a defeat.
Winning is just a little bit easier when you outrebound your opponent 15 to 8 on the offensive boards, a fact Springville proved on Tuesday. They managed a 39-34 win over Cedar Valley. The victory was just what Springville needed coming off of a 64-43 defeat in their prior game.
Halle Hall and Natalie Florence were among the main playmakers for Springville as the former scored 11 points along with eight rebounds and the latter shot 4-for-5 from downtown and almost dropped a double-double on 20 points and nine rebounds. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Florence has scored all season.
Meanwhile, Timpview faced the Wasps in a battle between two of the state's top teams. Timpview fell just short of the Wasps by a score of 62-59. Timpview's defeat signaled the end of their four-game winning streak.
Despite their defeat, Timpview saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Leah Atuaia, who scored 15 points along with seven rebounds and three steals, was perhaps the best of all. Another player making a difference was Lina Ballin, who scored 14 points along with six assists and six steals.
Speaking of assists, Timpview were working as a unit and finished the game with 15 assists. That's the most assists they've managed all season.
Springville's victory ended a seven-game drought at home and bumped them up to 4-14. As for Timpview, their loss ended a three-game streak of away wins and brought them to 14-4.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Springville have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 28.6 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Timpview struggles in that department as they've been averaging 28.1 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Springville couldn't quite finish off the Thunderbirds in their previous matchup back in January and fell 45-43. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Ballin, who scored 25 points along with five rebounds and three steals. Now that Springville knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
