Timberview finally slays Amarillo with buzzer beater to clinch state tournament berth
GIRLS
Mansfield Timberview 51, Amarillo 49
Stephanie Mosley had her sights on a promising junior season after she was named a starter.
However, an ankle sprain caused her to miss four weeks.
Since then, it’s been a slow process getting back to the court.
But with a berth to the state tournament on the line Saturday at Western Texas College in Snyder, Mosley hit the biggest shot of her career.
Top-ranked Amarillo, which has ended Timberview’s season the past two years, tied the game at 49 on Zayla Tinner’s 3-pointer. Timberview, No. 5, went down the court rather taking a timeout.
The Lady Wolves missed a shot. Then the ball landed in Mosley’s hands.
Mosley made the shot just inside the arc to beat the buzzer, sending Timberview to the Class 5A state tournament next week in San Antonio.
“It’s something you draw up in a movie,” Timberview coach Kit Kyle Martin said. “She played a big role tonight for us. We had some early foul trouble.
“She has a lot of potential and she knows it. It’s a very validating game for her, not just with the winning basket, but the entire game and how she did a lot of things for us.”
Amarillo, the two-time defending champ, beat Timberview, 47-45, in last year’s regional final. The Lady Sandies also won, 59-54, in the 2018 state title game.
“We slayed the dragon,” Martin said. “Those were crushing losses the last two years at the hands of the Sandies. Feels great to come out on top.”
Timberview (31-8) will face No. 6 San Antonio Veteran’s Memorial (31-7) in a semifinal game, 8:30 p.m. Thursday at the Alamodome. No. 23 College Station (32-7) will take on No. 25 Frisco Liberty at 7 in the first semifinal.
Senior Destiny Burton led Timberview with 17 points on 6 of 13 shooting and 15 rebounds. Sophomore Desiree Wooten added 16 points and four assists.
Senior Nina Milliner recorded eight points and six assists and Mosley chipped in seven points and four rebounds.
“They’re so much fun to coach and to see them win against all odds, it’s one of my favorite opportunities I’ve had in coaching,” Martin said.
It’s Timberview’s third trip to state in four years. The Lady Wolves were state runner-up in 2017 and 2018.
This story was originally published February 29, 2020 at 8:49 PM.
