ARLINGTON – The Wolves weren’t about to lose their tournament crown on their home court.
Despite trailing with four minutes left in the game, Timberview rallied back to beat South Grand Prairie 61-56 in the Spring Creek BBQ Invitational Girls Basketball Championship on Friday at Timberview HS.
The Wolves have won the tourney title for the second straight year and seventh overall.
The tournament began in 2003 and concluded its 20th year – there was no tournament in 2020 due to the COVID pandemic. Timberview has played for the championship in half of them – sporting a 7-3 record all-time.
Seniors Tamaiya Mims and Emilee Jones were named to the all-tournament team for Timberview while junior Brooklyn Terry was award tournament MVP. All-tournament selections for SGP included junior Taylor Barnes and senior guard and Texas A&M commit Taliyah Parker.
Timberview (24-1), #1 in the state in Class 5A, struggled early as SGP (15-4), #8 in 6A, built a 22-11 lead after the first quarter. Spirit Sheriff hit a corner three for SGP with eight seconds left on the clock. Then the lead grew to 31-18 with 3:21 left in the second quarter on buckets from Barnes, Cedraiah Peterson and Anyla Herbert.
But the Wolves kept chipping away.
Terry, who scored a team-high 17 points, helped Timberivew cut the lead to 35-26 at halftime. Senior Chrishawn Coleman had a steal and layup for the Wolves late in the second quarter. Coleman had another layup and Terry hit one of her four threes as SGP’s lead was trimmed to four in the third.
Barnes hit a jumper just inside the arc to push the lead back to eight.
Mims hit a three-point play and then a layup from Jones to cut it back to three.
Another jumper from Barnes and an offensive putback from Autumn Sherman kept the Warriors up by seven with two minutes left in the quarter. Timberview was able to pull within 47-44 at the end of the third. Kamryn Wilson had a three-point play to tie the game at 49 and then Jones’ basket by the baseline gave Timberview its first lead at 53-52 with under four minutes to play.
Terry got a friendly bounce on another three and the lead was 56-54 following a timeout by SGP with 1:36 to go. Coleman drained a big bucket with under a minute to go back up four. But two missed free throws left the door open for SGP – down three and seconds left.
But SGP turned it over on the in bounds pass and Timberview held on.
SGP only managed four points in the final 4:55.
Wilson scored 11 of her 15 points in the first half.
Barnes led all scorers with 22 points. Herbert added 10.
