Senior's 26 points spark Mansfield Timberview boys to playoff upset of Richland

By Brent Shirley

bshirley@star-telegram.com

ARLINGTON -- As the final seconds ticked off Arlington High School's scoreboard, the Mansfield Timberview student section began chanting: "overrated" at the Richland Rebels.

But they might have been wrong. The Wolves (20-12), who were finishing a 60-44 win over Richland (28-4) in a Class 5A bi-district playoff game, might be underrated.

"Richland is No. 4 in the state, so most people would call this an upset," Timberview coach Duane Gregory said. "I was pleased with the way we defended, blocked out and controlled the tempo of this game. I knew we needed to do those things to give us a chance. They are very good."

The Wolves led from late in the first half, when Brandon Pye hit a 3-pointer from the corner to give Timberview a 25-20 halftime lead.

Pye, who finished as the only Timberview player in double-figure scoring with a game-high 26 points, continued to hit big shots in the second half. Timberview opened a nine-point lead in the third, but the Rebels fought back to cut the Wolves' lead to 38-35 heading into the fourth.

As Richland pressed, trying to force turnovers, Timberview was able to find open players for layups to extend its lead.

"We prepared for both of their presses," Gregory said. "It snowballed on both sides. We got confident, they got frustrated."

Pye hit a layup while falling down and converted a three-point play with 1:30 remaining to give Timberview a 54-41 lead.

"Brandon is the first four-year varsity guy we've had at Timberview," Gregory said. "He's not ready to go home yet."

Timberview advances to face the winner between Coppell and Allen in the area playoffs.

Brent Shirley, 817-390-7760

Twitter: @bshirley08

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