Last second technical foul ruins Wyatt comeback, sends Timberview to regional semis

Fort Worth Wyatt had it’s momentum spoiled by a technical foul Saturday in its Class 5A Region 1 quarterfinal showdown with defending champ Mansfield Timberview.

Wyatt blew an 11-point first-quarter lead and trailed for most of the second half only to rally with its full-court press. Marcell McCreary (Air Force commit) and Jacobi Lewis forced the first of two straight turnovers by Timberview, and McCreary tied the game with under 15 seconds left.

Both teams had no timeouts and Timberview was forced to inbound it once more against Wyatt’s pressure, which got to the Wolves as McCreary got a jump ball call with the possession arrow going to the Chaparrals.

With 6.8 seconds left and a tie ball game, it was all in Wyatt’s favor, but following the call, the Chaparrals bench players walked onto the court as they were celebrating.

The move cost Wyatt, which was called for a technical foul.

Timberview’s Jared Washington hit the first of two free-throw attempts and the Wolves got the ball as the second attempt went off a Wyatt player and out of bounds. Cameron Taylor was fouled and also made 1 of 2 and Wyatt couldn’t get a final shot off as No. 4 Timberview edged No. 5 Wyatt, 57-55, at Arlington ISD Athletic Center.

“The officials, in my opinion, should have solved the circumstances of the game and let it go, but they didn’t,” said Wyatt coach DeMarqus James, whose team finishes the season 21-6. “It’s in the rule book. It’s a rule so we can’t complain about it.”

Timberview (22-3) won state in 2019. It reached the state tournament last season before it was canceled due to COVID-19. The Wolves will face Amarillo in the regional semifinals, their fifth trip in the past six seasons.

“They ran on the sideline and some ran to the lane almost and you can’t do that,” Timberview coach Duane Gregory said. “Proud of these guys. It’s the fifth time in six years going to the regional tournament and that’s a compliment to the coaching staff and these guys who continue to carry the torch.”

The Wolves held a 44-37 lead midway through the fourth when Wyatt made its comeback. Back-to-back layups pulled the Chaps within 46-44 with three minutes to play. Braylon Crosby and McCreary traded 3-point baskets to make it 51-47 Timberview with 2:08 left.

Kendall Fair and Lewis hit Wyatt threes to pull within two and under a minute remaining. Wyatt stole the ball, but was called for charging on the next possession with 33 seconds on the clock. Then McCreary’s game-tying layup and bedlam of the final sequence.

“I’ve been in that position before,” said Washington of his free-throw attempt. “Made the first, but missed the second. I knew one of them would separate the game. Big players make big shots. This game was emotional. We fought hard. We knew if we could match up with them, we could match up with anyone.”

Wyatt landed the first punch when it began the game on a 14-3 run. The Chaparrals scored the first nine points, which included a McCreary 3-pointer and Fair layup. McCreary added a step-back baseline jumper to give Wyatt an 11-2 lead with under three minutes left in the first quarter. Lewis hit two threes, even banking one in and Wyatt led 19-11 after the period.

“We made open shots,” James said. “The jump shot was hot early, but we relied on the jump shot too much which is why I think we got stagnant.”

Timberview outscored Wyatt 15-8 in the second quarter to bring it to a 27-26 Wyatt advantage at intermission. The Wolves got a fastbreak dunk for their first lead at 30-29 and scored seven of the next eight, capped off by a Taylor layup that made it 37-30 midway through the third.

“It was a fresh new ball game. The first quarter was gone. It was time to play Timberview basketball,” Gregory said. “They knocked out the first punch at the start and I told the guys, if you can withstand that punch, you’re going to be okay and I was pleased how poised they were on the bench.”

Washington scored a team-high 15 points. Donovan O’Day and Crosby added 11 points piece and Chendall Weaver chipped in nine points and seven rebounds.

McCreary led Wyatt with a game-high 22 points, including 11 in the first quarter. Fair added 12 and Lewis chipped in 11 points, seven assists and four steals. All three players were nominated for McDonald’s All-American.

“We tried to come out and match them, but they came out harder,” Washington said. “But we weren’t just going to lay down and give it to them.”