CEDAR HILL, Texas -- South Grand Prairie’s effort on the defensive end was never a problem in Tuesday’s first-place showdown in the District 5-5A boys basketball race.

But to get straightened out on the scoring end, it took some halftime reminders from coach Brandon Bennett.

“We settled for a lot of outside shots in the first half,’’ Bennett said. “We made the point at halftime to get the ball inside more and take advantage of one of our strengths. Once we got that going, other things opened up.’’

Guard Jovan Austin scored 13 of his 20 points in the second half and fellow senior Chris Washburn contributed eight of his 12 rebounds to lead South Grand Prairie to a decisive 54-34 victory over Cedar Hill at David Milson Court.

South Grand Prairie (23-2), No. 2 in ESPNDallas.com's Class 5A rankings, moved into sole possession of the 5-5A lead with a 6-0 record.

Cedar Hill (17-8), ranked No. 8, fell to second place in the district standings at 5-1.

“We were more aggressive on offense in the second half,’’ said Austin, who leads the team with an 11.7 scoring average. “In the first half, we settled for too many jumpers. We started getting more baskets off turnovers. The best thing about this win was the way we came back in the second half.’’

The teams went to intermission tied, 17-17. Despite forcing 14 Cedar Hill turnovers in the first half, South Grand Prairie was 6-for-18 on field goal attempts and 4-of-9 from the foul line with 10 turnovers of its own.

Leading Cedar Hill scorer Jalen Jones (13 points) hit a 3-pointer in the first 30 seconds of the second half for the last Longhorn lead, 20-17.

Then it was South Grand Prairie’s turn. The Warriors went on a 12-0 run over the next three minutes to take command. Austin started it with a 3-pointer from the corner and ended it with a layup off a steal. In between, Jayrn Johnson converted two free throws, the 6-8 Washburn got loose for a dunk and Tyler Jacobs contributed a three-point play.

Cedar Hill was outscored, 21-8 in the third period and never recovered.

“You can’t let a team like South Grand Prairie have a run like that,’’ said Cedar Hill coach Tim Thomas. “The thing about a game like this, you learn what your weaknesses are. And tonight, it was turnovers. That’s an area we need to improve.’’

The Warriors forced 21 turnovers with a variety of defenses.

“For us, defense is offense,’’ Bennett said. “Jovan runs the show for us on offense, but he is a great defensive player, too.’’

Girls: Cedar Hill 64, South Grand Prairie 35: The Lady Longhorns (22-5, 7-1) with the victory set up a 6 p.m. Friday showdown at 5-5A leader Duncanville (27-1, 8-0). Jada Terry scored 14 points to lead Cedar Hill. Ba’Ara Houston led all scorers with 15 points for South Grand Prairie (11-14, 2-6).