On Friday night against Duncanville, two Timberview boys basketball teams made an appearance.
One was the Timberview team that started the season so well. It was the Timberview team that had played hard-nosed defense and was an aggressive offensive team.It was the Timberview team that took down North Crowley, held Mansfield High to 26 points, won the FWISD Coca Cola Classic and reached a No. 4 ranking in Class 5A after winning 19 of its first 20 games.But there was another Timberview team that Friday night. One that struggled on defense, forced bad shots on offense and fell behind Duncanville 31-16 at halftime. That's a Timberview team coach Duane Gregory hopes he doesn't see again."Defensively, we weren't where we needed to be," Gregory said of his teams first half against Duncanville. "Our transition defense was really poor."Timberview lost 66-56 to Duncanville, but not before the other Timberview team started playing the second half and cut the Panthers' 15-point halftime lead to two in the third quarter.The Wolves weren't able to get over the hump and finish the rally, but Gregory is proud of the way his guys responded out of the locker room after halftime. Still, he knows that's not enough in District 7-5A."I was pleased with how we came out and played in the second half," Gregory said. "The trick is in this district you can't play a half like that and win the game. You have to play the whole game like that."Despite the 19-1 start, Timberview would be on the outside looking in if the playoffs started today. The Wolves are 3-4 and in fifth place in the brutal District 7-5A, with losses coming against Duncanville and the No. 1 and 2 teams in the state in DeSoto and South Grand Prairie.Gregory doesn't want to make excuses, though, and knows his team can get right back into the playoff picture if it can change a few things."We've got to try to build on the second half we had," Gregory said. "They've got to keep battling, and if I know these guys at all, they're going to keep battling."Against Duncanville, Timberview outscored the Panthers 19-11 in the third quarter. That was done with a more aggressive defense and offense. The Wolves picked up their defense and extended it to full-court, frustrating the Duncanville ball-handlers.That defense ignited one of Timberview's biggest strengths - its transition offense. Alex Robinson and J.V. Long took advantage of Duncanville's poor passes and bad shots to get out on the break and attack the rim.Robinson and Long scored 10 of Timerview's 19 points in the third quarter. Each finished with a game-high 17 points."We've got to try to get in transition and try to focus on attacking the rim," Gregory said. "[Robinson and Long] were doing things the right way offensively, particularly in the second half. I need them and other guys to play like that going forward."We don't have a 6-10 guy to dump it down to so there's certain things we've go to do to be successful."Have more to add? News tip? Tell us
