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AUSTIN - The Wheatley boys basketball team's season came to an end Thursday night with a 95-89 loss to Fort Worth Southwest in a 4A state semifinal at the Frank Erwin Center.
After trailing most of the fast-paced game, in which a combined 170 shots were attempted, Wheatley charged back to take the lead with 1:22 left on a Robert Stokes layup. But Southwest hit 6-of-8 free throws sandwiched around a layup off a missed foul shot to take a four-point lead in the final minute.
John Boutte hit a lay-in with 23 seconds left to get Wheatley to 93-89, but Southwest's Kendall Timmons hit two free throws to provide the final margin.
Timmons scored a game-high 34 points of 10-20 shooting from the field. He was 14-of-18 at the line.
Duane Kinney added 17 points and Dominique Jones 12 for Southwest, whose lead peaked at 11 in the second quarter.
Boutte and DeShun Garrett scored 18 points apiece, Joseph Franklin added 13 and Stokes had 12 for Wheatley, which forced 27 turnovers and shot 38-of-96 (40 percent) from the field. But they were only 4-of-28 from 3-point range.
Southwest, which entered the state tournament averaging almost 100 points a game, advances to play Dallas South Oak Cliff in the state final Saturday. SOC defeated Boerne 53-46 in Thursday's other semifinal.
The area is guaranteed one state finalist. Fort Bend Dulles (33-4) plays Klein Forest (33-3) in a 5A semifinal at 3:30 p.m. Friday.
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