The Timpview Thunderbirds pushed their score all the way to 62 on Friday, but even that wasn't enough to win. They were just a bucket shy of victory and fell 63-62 to Valley Christian. Despite running the score up even higher than they did on Thursday (58), Timpview still had to take the loss.
Timpview's loss came despite strong showings from Dean Rueckert and Aisa Galea'i. Rueckert scored 24 points along with nine rebounds, while Galea'i scored 17 points along with five rebounds. Rueckert scored a full 38.7% of Timpview's points, the third time in a row he's earned more than a third of the team's points. Another player making a difference was Lincoln Holcombe, who scored six points.
Even though they lost, Timpview were smashing the offensive glass and finished the game with 12 offensive rebounds. That's the most offensive rebounds they've managed all season.
Valley Christian got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Carson Grier out in front who dropped a double-double on 13 points and ten rebounds. Grier set a new season high mark in steals with five. Austin Wallace was another key contributor, scoring 15 points along with six rebounds.
Timpview's loss dropped their record down to 4-4. As for Valley Christian, the victory makes it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 13-1.
Timpview won't have much time to rest: their next game is against John Paul II on December 30, 2023. John Paul II will have to bring their A-game into this one, as they are staring down a pretty big deficit in their respective state's rankings (they are ranked 1201st in Texas, while Timpview is ranked 35th in Utah). Valley Christian is on the road again on Saturday and play against Boulder Creek at 8:30 p.m. on December 30, 2023.
