Tigers outlast Thunderbirds in overtime Region 7 opener

OREM — Many who watched the Orem Tigers' thrilling 66-64 overtime win Friday night over the Timpview Thunderbirds likely went straight from the gym to the hospital to have their heart put back on a regular beat.

First they had to watch two clutch 3-point baskets in the final minutes of the fourth quarter, one by T-Bird Griffin Miller that tied the game and one by Tiger Craig Cusick that gave Orem a one-point lead. Then they saw Cusick hit a foul shot with 1:25 remaining to tie the game. The reason the game stayed tied after regulation was two missed Timpview foul shots in the final seconds and a missed off-balance jumper by Orem's Tanner Lamb at the buzzer.

When Cusick opened the extra period with a layup and free throw, the Tigers grabbed a lead they never relinquished. However, Orem never did have the game comfortably in hand because of two tough driving baskets by Timpview's Bryan Hatton, both of which narrowed the lead back to one point.

Then when Cusick made only one of two foul shots with 19 seconds left in overtime to put the Tigers up 66-64, Timpview had two final shots to win the game. The first 3-point shot by Miller bounced high off the rim and out to Michael Salazar, who put up another fairly open 3-point shot at the buzzer. But the final shot also glanced off the far side of the basket.

"They got two good looks there at the end that scared me" Orem coach Mike Conner said.

In winning the Region 7 opener, the Tigers proved they're not a two-man team. Cusick and fellow scoring star Tanner Lamb only combined for 25 points, well below their combined average, and only scored two points each in the first half. Miller did a defensive number on Lamb and B.J. Bateman smothered Cusick all night.

"You've got good athletes guarding good athletes out there, and they really did a good job on them," Conner said.

But the T-Birds forgot about Orem's 7-foot center Jordan Butler, who showed Friday night that he's more than just a big fly swatter in the paint. Butler scored 10 first-half points and then kept the Tigers close in the third period with four more baskets.

"He's good around the basket, he's playing with confidence and he's a load. He's tough to match up against," Conner said.

However, Orem's big guy went to the bench with five fouls after he was whistled for three quick ones early in the fourth quarter.

"I was real nervous when he fouled out," Conner said.

But behind role players Mike Hall, Timo Valimaki and Daniel Hockersmith, Orem stayed close enough to force overtime.

Timpview spotted the Tigers an 11-point lead to start the game before trimming the gap to four at halftime. The T-Birds took their first lead when Nick Jackson scored and was fouled midway through the third period. A buzzer-beater 50-foot shot by Chris Nash to end the third period gave Timpview its biggest lead at 45-40. But Cusick's eight fourth-quarter points and Timpview's poor free-throw shooting tightened the game the rest of the way. The score was tied twice in the final period and the lead changed hands four times.

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E-mail: jimr@desnews.com