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Posted Dec 29/11 - Pflugerville earns Mansfield Rotary Invitational title with big rally for 54-51 victory over Mansfield Timberview; senior Itiana Taylor selected MVP, senior Ari Booth named to All-Tournament Team

MANSFIELD, Texas-- Behind clutch free throws and 3-point shooting in the final 1:25, No. 3 state-ranked Plfugerville earned the 2011 Mansfield Rotary Invitational Tournament championship and stayed undefeated with a 54-51 win over Mansfield Timberview Thursday evening in a battle of two top Texas 5A teams. The Panthers went on a 9-0 surge in the waning minutes at Legacy High School to post the win. Down 40-37 entering the final period, Pflugerville rallied behind three-pointers from junior guard Brenisha Payne (team-high 17 points) and senior guard Ari Booth and key last-minute free throws by Payne and senior forward Itiana Taylor. Taylor (pictured) dominated play in the title game and earned tournament MVP honors.

Taylor logged her fourth double-double (double-figure scoring and rebounding) game of the tournament, scoring 12 points while pulling down 14 rebounds and collecting four steals.

Head coach Nancy Walling's Panthers went 5-0 in the tourney and are No. 3 in the most recent TABC/Tex Preps Basketball Magazine. Timberview, now 17-5, is ranked No. 12 in the poll.

The Panthers trailed 50-49 with 51 seconds to play when Payne went to the free throw line and hit two foul shots to give Pflugerville the lead for good, 51-50. With seven seconds left and P'ville up 52-51, Taylor iced the game by making two free throws for the three-point margin of victory. After Taylor's second made free throw, Wolve guard Lili Thompson took the inbound pass and drove to the 3-point line where she was stripped of the ball by a Panther double-team with two seconds left.

The Panthers went 18 for 25 from the foul line, with Payne leading the way with a 7-for-10 effort.

Joining Taylor on the All-Tournament Team was Booth who finished with 10 points in the championship game. Taylor's double-double against Timberview was her 15th of the year. In the five-game tourney, Taylor logged double-digit rebounds all five games and collected 73 points (a 14.6 ppg tourney average) and 77 rebounds (15.4 rpg).

Pflugerville led 32-28 at halftime before Timberview jumped out and out-scored the Panthers 12-5 in the third quarter to take a 40-37 lead into the final period.

This was the first Rotary Invitational championship for the Panthers who also advanced to the title game last year before losing to state powerhouse Canyon HS.

Pflugerville's 26-game win streak is the second longest in team history. During the 1992-93 season, Walling's Panthers won their first 32 games en route to a Texas UIL State Tournament (Final Four) appearance, before being stopped in the semifinals.

Pflugerville will return to action on Tuesday, Jan. 3 in District 16-5A action against Westwood High School. That game takes place at 7:30 p.m. at Westwood. The Panthers are 2-0 to date in District action.

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