Mansfield Timberview girls smother Cedar Hill with defense

By Josh Bowe

Special to the Star-Telegram

MANSFIELD -- Normally it's senior guard Lili Thompson who steals the show. The Stanford signee has led the Mansfield Timberview girls basketball team all season.

Thompson's points were crucial, but junior forwards JaLea Bennett and Dayo Olabode provided the difference in Timberview's 54-41 home win Friday over Cedar Hill.

The Wolves (24-3, 6-1) sit second in District 7-5A, thanks to Olabode's 14 points and Bennett's 10.

"Both of those players were tremendous for us," Timberview coach Kit Martin said. "They were guarding Cedar Hill's best players, and they got out on the break and scored for us."

Olabode scored Timberview's first five points of the fourth quarter, starting with a 3-pointer and then hitting two free throws.

Those foul shots gave Timberview its largest lead of the night at 45-31. Olabode's 3 was the "back-breaker" for Cedar Hill, Martin said.

Cedar Hill managed to cut the lead to 47-38, but Bennett scored consecutive baskets to give Timberview a 51-38 lead with under two minutes to play.

Timberview's defense smothered Cedar Hill (20-6, 5-2) early, holding the Longhorns to six points in the first quarter, after which Timberview led 13-6.

The Longhorns pulled within 20-18 before Thompson dished an assist and scored the Wolves' final two baskets for Timberview's 27-20 halftime lead.

Thompson scored a game-high 20 points in a rematch of last month's Mansfield Rotary Invitational championship. Cedar Hill won then 61-59, a defeat Thompson said motivated the Wolves on Friday.

"We changed our defensive game plan up a little bit," Thompson said. "We watched film and made sure we didn't make the same mistakes as last time."

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