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Show ports WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2008 • B1 Covering what matters most Courtesy photos HEY BATTER, BATTER! Tyson Lambourne proves that fast-pitch is no match for his bat during a training camp. Christene Choate / Spanish Fork News SPEED DEMON: Breck Lewis cuts past an American Fork defender to the basket. Two Forks collide Chad Vest STAFF WRITER Five local fast-pitch players make final cut for junior Olympic team Mike Norris STAFF WRITER area are working to change that. A local junior men's team was started by Steve Black, father of Salem's Robbie Mention men's fast pitch Softball to and Kevin Black. Steve, who has played most people and all you get in response on the national level for 26 years, put tois a blank stare. Bring up the subject gether a team from Salem and Spanish with some of the men who have played Fork with boys who, for the most part, it and you can't get them to stop talking had never played the game. The team is sponsored by Page Brake and owner about it. Carl Hansen, who, along with his sons ! Spanish Fork once had the state's Brian and Chris, have sponsored the ju!best fast pitch league. The league was nior team since the 1960s. ; loaded with players the likes of Don ^Andrews and Larry Gardner. However, The Page Brake Junior team has •with a game where a good pitcher can competed in the Pleasant Grove Men's dominate, most young players coming Fast Pitch League for the last three up started turning to the quick-paced years, has played in all the local men's game of slow pitch softball. tournaments and has also traveled to the It has been over 20 years since any American Softball Association's Junior competitive fast pitch softball has been Men's National Tournament in North Mankato, Minn. played in Spanish Fork. It was at the national tournament Now a group of young men from the that some of the young men on the team caught the eye of the US Junior Olympic coaches. Established in 1981, the US Junior Men's teams have competed in all the International Softball Federation's World Championships. The ISF World Championships have been held in the same years as the Summer Olympics since 1985. The US Junior Men took the silver medal in both of the first two championships, but have yet to equal that since. In 2005, the team managed its best finish in 15 years by finishing fifth. Five young men from the local junior team were invited to be on the USA Training Team. The Olympic coaches have held a series of camps at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, See FAST-PITCH • BIO BATTER UP! Pictured are the new local members of the Junior Olympic team from left to right: Michael Hayes, Robbie Black, Gentry Mitchell, Tyson Lambourne and Chris Norris. After last Wednesday's 68-60 road win over American Fork, fans who attended must have thought they had seen a re-run. Interesting enough, last Friday's game in the Don dome over Timpanogos ended with the identical score in favor of the Dons. Was it deja vu? Maybe so, since both victories were sealed at the charity stripe in the closing minute of play. Both teams knotted the score even on a few occasions and several lead changes occurred throughout. Spanish Fork led for the majority of the game, but did it in the first half with sharp shooting by their trio of guards. The Cavemen were able to keep it close with great inside play from their big men Zac Enosa and Jake Murphy, who powered their way to the bucket. Early in the second, AF tied the score at 14. All but Dallin Naulu answered right back. From the right wing, Naulu penetrated with hisexplosive first step quickness. He weaved through defenders to hit another one of his improbable lay-ups, which has become routine for the talented senior. Spanish Fork went with a main defense in this one again, because their quick perimeter play keeps giving opponents fits. Their postplay has been tremendous as of late, too. Seniors Devin Nelson and Juan Vergera tallied 13 boards and 14 points between them, which helped their team with putbacks and second-chance shots. The Dons carried a 31-27 lead heading into the locker. In the third, the Cavemen grabbed the lead on a 5-0 run which forced Coach Bailey to call a time-out with six minutes left in the period. Nelson and Clay- ton then hit two straight shots in the paint to go up 40-38. However, AF answered back by tying it up at 40 all with some charity work. Two minutes elapsed before another basket was made, but soon after, Nelson sprung free in the paint for an easy lay-up, after which Shaun Peterson hit two charities to take a 44— 40 lead. But the Cavemen began to club back with a huge 9-0 run of their own. In the final minute, they got hot from downtown by nailing three consecutive three-point shots, with the last one dropping at the buzzer to regain the lead at 49^4. All of the momentum was clearly in the favor of the home team as the fourth got under way. But the Dons remained calm and aggressive in their attack. Trailing 52-49, Nelson outwrestled a Caveman on the hardwood for a steal, right before pleading for a timeout. It was granted with five minutes to play, and SF came back confident and poised. Senior Zac Clayton helped his team regain the lead with a runner in the lane and a huge three-point shot. Following that, Gardner was also found near the corner for an open trey. Amazingly, his shot banked in from downtown and from there, the Dons wrapped it up by shooting 6/8 charity shots from the line. "We were trying to force some things offensively at first," said Coach Bailey. "In the first half, it seemed like we had a bunch of individuals out there. But in the fourth, the kids played together like they can." Gardner led the Dons with three treys and 15 points. Clayton (13), Naulu (10, with seven assists), Peterson (7). McVey, Lewis and Vergera each had four apiece. FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE, SEE B2 AND B10 |