Wolves’ backs against the wall

By Josh Bowe

Special to the Star-Telegram

Timberview junior guard Alex Robinson was rubbing his chest slightly after Timberview’s dramatic 47-46 win against South Grand Prairie on Friday night.

Robinson took a key charge in the final 30 seconds that helped seal the win. A South Grand Prairie player toppled into Robinson as both players hit the court.

The hit was worth it for Robinson, despite the pain. He knew it was going to hurt when he lined up in the paint.

“I didn’t want to get up,” Robinson said with a laugh about how he felt after taking the charge.

That’s the kind of spirit Timberview coach Duane Gregory wants from his team. The Wolves have just three district games games remaining against Cedar Hill, Midlothian and Duncanville. Two of those three are on the road.

Those two road games -- Cedar Hill and Duncanville -- are against teams that have beaten Timberview already this year. Sitting at 5-6 in District 7-5A, the Wolves are currently out of the top four spots.

Timberview stands a game behind 6-5 Cedar Hill for the fourth and final playoff spot. There’s no turning back, Gregory said.

“It’s a huge win,” Gregory said after the South Grand Prairie win. “There was a certain point in district where they could have cashed it in. They’re finding a way to fight. We live one more day.”

Since Timberview dropped a game a 83-77 loss to Grand Prairie, the Wolves have looked like a different team. Timberview mauled Mansfield 67-38 and then almost took down DeSoto before losing 55-50.

Gregory said that DeSoto effort, combined with his team’s effort on Friday against South Grand Prairie, gives him hope that his team will close the season strong.

The Wolves handed the Warriors just their second district loss.

“Felt like we played well at DeSoto and I’m glad they followed it up with another win,” Gregory said. “We did a good job of keeping our composure.”

Even though Timberview scored just 47 points and the Wolves made a bunch of key defensive plays in the last minute, the offense was what helped Timberview out most of the game.

The game was slow-paced, without a lot of fastbreak chances. The Wolves used the fewer possessions to their advantage -- Timberview pulled the ball out, ran the clock and took advantage of South Grand Prairie's aggressive defense.

That led to a lot of shots in the paint and layups. That’s key for Timberview since the Wolves don’t have a big man to throw the ball in for easy points.

Against the Warriors, Robinson only scored six points. He played more of a facilitator role on Friday night. Timberview would spread the floor and let Robinson work the middle.

When Robinson got into the paint, he found his teammates, like senior guard Cornelius Hudson, who had a game-high 20 points.

“It was just our gameplan,” Robinson said. “We knew they were going to deny me. I didn’t want to force anything and risk my team losing a game.”

That was Gregory’s focus for the game -- to get as many shots in the paint as possible.

“We did a good job of getting to the rim and being patient and getting the looks we wanted to get,” he said.

Gregory was most impressed with how his team finished off South Grand Prairie. It was an emotional game -- the Timberview home gym had just about as many Warriors fans as Wolves fans, including in the student sections.

At times, it was hard to hear the referee’s whistle. Gregory was proud of how his team responded when the game got tighter and more intense.

“Emotions were flying, the gym was going crazy,” Gregory said. “Keeping our composure was huge.”

After the South Grand Prairie game, the Timberview locker room was full of cheers and players jumping up and down. Robinson said that win was great, but it wasn’t the season. There’s still time left, and Robinson is thankful that his team still has a shot at the playoffs.

“Everyone’s happy, we live to fight another day,” he said.

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