Change of pace puts Mansfield Timberview into FWISD final

By Travis L. Brown and Travis Detherage

Special to the Star-Telegram

Mansfield Timberview successfully changed tactics at halftime against Arlington Bowie in Friday's semifinal of the Fort Worth ISD/Coca-Cola Classic at Wilkerson-Greines Activity Center.

The result was a 52-41 Timberview victory. The Wolves (17-1) meet Garland Lakeview Centennial (14-3) at 5 p.m. today in the championship game.

Timberview's key adjustment against Bowie was to control the pace of the game, slowing Vols' transition offense.

"We wanted to be patient and get the kind of looks we wanted to get," Timberview coach Duane Gregory said. "Bowie's a really good transition team -- they like to get up and down -- and we wanted to be selective about when we did that."

Bowie (14-2) was limited to 16 points in the second half, six in the fourth quarter. Through the end of the third and start of the fourth quarters, Timberview went on a 14-2 run, enough to seal the win.

Timberview standout junior guard Alex Robinson led all scorers with 19 points. Bowie senior forward Malcolm Hughes scored 17, including two 3-pointers.

Garland Lakeview Centennial 70, Mansfield Summit 52: The Patriots' use of an intense game-long press was more than the Jaguars (8-6) could handle in the other semifinal.

Centennial's high-point man, junior guard Charles Beauregard, had the play of the tournament so far as part of his 24 points, finishing an acrobatic layup while taking a hard foul. Summit's Lovell Cabbil finished with a team-high 18 points.

Notes

Keller Fossil Ridge (6-8) punched its ticket to the consolation championship with a 53-52 win over Denton Guyer (11-5). Guyer had a chance to win at the buzzer, but Sean Choate's shot was blocked by Fossil Ridge junior forward Travis Gray. Fossil Ridge junior guard Ryan Porter led all scorers with 14.

Killeen (12-10) advanced to the consolation championship after a 58-38 win over Arlington Lamar (2-14). An 18-8 Killeen run in the second half extended the margin. Lamar senior guard Da'Quan Thomas led all scorers with 19 points.

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