SAN ANTONIO, Texas — March may come in like a lion for most of the country but in Texas it comes in like a steer and if you’re looking for some Grade A Prime Basketball, the UIL Texas State Girls Championship is the place to find it. In its 68th year, the event once again returned to the Alamodome for three days of action. Six classifications went at it in two days of semifinal action leading into Championship Saturday’s full slate of title games.
Just eight teams of the 24 on hand this time around in San Antonio made the trip a year ago for the 2017 tournament. Of those eight, just two were returning to defend their crowns. Nazareth was back in the 1A bracket while Argyle was looking for a fourth consecutive 4A crown in their fifth visit in a row to the Texas version of the Final Four. Day one semifinal action belonged to the 1A, 3A and 5A brackets while Friday’s action pitted the remaining even number classifications.
If you doubt for one moment the caliber of basketball in Texas, consider this. The state leads the way this year with seven members of the Girls McDonald’s All-American team yet not one was still playing on the final weekend of scholastic action. That’s certainly no reflection on those accomplished ladies but it is a tip of the hat to the considerable depth of talent and programs in the Lone Star State.
Today we look at Saturday’s six championship games and we’ll follow early in the week with a look back at some of the outstanding performers from all the action in San Antonio. Check back with Blue Star Media for more from Texas.
Easily the most competitive and exciting game of this year’s tournament, Plano and Converse Judson gave the crowd their money’s worth in the final game of the evening. The Lady Wildcats were making their first trip to the state tournament since 2000 while Judson returned after a semifinal loss in last year’s event. Plano Came into the game with a 34 – 6 record and moved into the final by way of a 64 – 53 win over Cypress Creek. Judson entered the championship game with a 34 – 4 mark that included their semifinal 71 – 66 win over Garland Sachse.
Plano jumped out quickly behind the play of Jordyn Merritt but before the end of the quarter the Rockets had closed the gap trailing just 18 – 17. That momentum carried into the second period as Judson took a 32 – 29 lead into the locker room at the half. Junior guard Corina Carter paced the Rockets in the first half and was joined in double figures by senior Desiree Lewis who posted 10 of her own while Merritt, a sophomore forward, led Plano with 10.
Judson stretched the lead to as much as 12 in the third before the Lady Wildcats closed it to just a 48 – 41 margin entering the final quarter. The fourth period defined the words back and forth with each team having runs that looked like they were ready to cut down the nets. In the end, it was Plano who took home the honors surviving a foul fest down the stretch that included and intentional foul, missed free throws and offensive boards to keep the crowds guessing till the final horn. It was Merritt’s offensive rebound and put back with just four seconds on the clock that made the final margin 62 – 58.
Merritt let Plano in the scoring department with 15. Championship game MVP and senior guard Lolo Davenport added 14 while junior guard Zaria Collins chipped in 10 more. Carter led a trio in double figures for Judson with 22. Lewis added 16 more and junior Tiffany McGarity finished with 10 of her own.
Plano dominated the boards 43 – 31 and forced the Rockets into 22 turnovers on the night. The Lady Wildcats shot just 36.1 percent from the floor but Judson could only do slightly better at 38.6 percent. The Rockets had better luck at the line making 21 of 24 attempts while Plano was fortunate to escape with a win in the face of a woeful 13 for 25 effort of their own.
Neither Amarillo or Mansfield Timberview were pushed to their limit in their Thursday semifinal games. The Sandies from Amarillo beat Temple 48 – 34 in their first trip to the state tournament since 1996. Timberview, the 2017 state runner-up, made their fourth ever trip to the state tournament and moved into the finals with a 62 – 43 win over Kerrville Tivy.
The Lady Wolves opened up with a 10 – 7 first period and continued that run into the second quarter stretching the lead to as much as nine. Amarillo settled down and before all was said and done at the half had things dead even at 25 apiece. Timberview got eight from junior guard Destiny Jackson across the first 16 minutes while senior Chloe Mayfield led the Sandies with eight of her own including a couple of three pointers.
Amarillo held serve in the third adding one point to their lead taking a 40 – 39 edge into the final period. They stretched the gap to as much as eight in the fourth before celebrating a 59 – 54 win when the final horn sounded.
Ashlyn Milton was named MVP by virtue of her 13 point second half scoring effort. The 5-10 junior wing led the way with 17 points on 6 of 10 shooting including 2 of 3 from deep. Junior Tatym Barnes followed with 13 while Mayfield finished with 11. The Lady Wolves had three in double figures as well. Junior guard Mikayla Hutchinson had 12 while classmate N’Denasija Collins added 11 and Jackson posted 10 more.
Amarillo held the edge on the glass 29 – 22 but did commit three more turnovers than Timberview, 16 – 13. The Sandies were 21 of 45 from the floor including an impressive 10 for 20 three point performance as a team. Timberview shot 18 for 42 and were 4 of 10 from deep in the loss. Amarillo’s championship record goes into the book at 40 – 2 while the Lady Wolves finish 40 – 3 on the year.
The 4A final saw a talented and very young (no seniors) team facing a storied program with tradition and state tournament experience. Veterans Memorial out of San Antonio may not have any senior citizens on their roster but their future is beyond promising. Unfortunately in their first trip to the finals they were facing Texas basketball royalty in the Eagles from Argyle who, by the way, were in search of their fourth consecutive title. Argyle had rolled into the finals by taking down Houston Wheatley 62 – 46 after slow start in their opening game. In their very first state tournament action, the Patriots battled Denver City tooth and nail before claiming a 57 – 51 semifinal win.
That tradition spoke volumes out of the gate for Argyle as they jumped out to a commanding 19 – 9 lead after one period of play. The second wasn’t a whole lot better as an 11 – 5 margin made the Eagles halftime lead a comfortable 30 -14. Freshman and eventual MVP Sydney Standifer posted 11 for Argyle while senior sister Gabby and sophomore Rhyle McKinney both had 9 in the half. Junior guard Charlene Mass had five for Veterans Memorial.
The young Patriots grew up a bit over the halftime break and outscored the Eagles 17 – 15 across the course of the third period. Sensing victory and a bit of history, Argyle got back on track in the fourth adding five more to the lead and claiming the 61 – 40 win.
Sydney Standifer ultimately led the way with 22 points on 6 for 13 shooting that included 3 of 5 from behind the arch. McKinney proved that the Eagles also have plenty of young talent of their own finishing with 20 while “old” Gabby Standifer capped her fourth state title with a 14 point effort. Mass was impressive with18 that came on 7 for 15 shooting and some eye catching penetration in the loss.
Argyle came out on top in the rebounding department 31 – 24 and forced the Patriots into 15 turnovers while giving it up just 11 times themselves. The Eagles shot 43.2 percent as a team while Veterans Memorial connected at a 38.9 percent clip. Argyle was also 7 of 14 from three point range in the win. The Eagles wrap up the year 34 – 7 while Veterans Memorial closes shop on a 33 – 10 season.
A couple of “young” programs made their way into Saturday’s UIL 3A final. In their first trip to the state tournament Marlin had easily dispensed of Vanderbilt Industrial 59 – 32 to move to 32 – 8 and into the championship game. Veteran Mount Vernon had been to state…just once. But that was last year where they fell in the semifinals and this time around they beat Brock 46 – 37 in semifinal action to advance.
Mount Vernon shot the lights out across the first half hitting 57.9 percent as a team. However, it earned them just a one point lead at the break as Marlin knocked down five from behind the arch to keep pace and trail just 24 – 23 after 16 minutes of play. Senior power forward Alissa Hill was perfect from the floor in the half and led Mt. Vernon with seven points. Dynamic junior guard Mystique Womack had 12 for Marlin including three long balls.
Marlin roared out of the gate in the third and claimed a 38 – 34 lead entering the fourth quarter of play. A 16 – 9 run behind some sharpshooting from sophomore wing Mount Vernon’s Tyraven Linwood made the homestretch exciting. It was a one possession game with just 45 seconds remaining when Womack’s day came to an end in a must foul situation. When all was said and done it was a 51 – 47 redemption for Mount Vernon.
Hill led the Tigers with 13 on 5 of 9 shooting. Annie Coffey, a junior guard, contributed 12 more while Linwood, named MVP, tallied 11 including 3 for 5 from deep. Womack paced the Bulldogs with 21 while Danielle Nobles had a double-double of 10 points and 10 boards. Senior guard Dyneisha Bailey had 10 more to the cause.
Despite the loss, Marlin held an edge on the glass pulling 32 rebounds to 27 for the Tigers. Mount Vernon finished with 15 turnovers while the Bulldogs had 16. Connecting on 20 of their 40 field goal attempts as a team, Mount Vernon outdistanced Marlin who was 17 of 50 for just 34 percent. Mount Vernon finishes the year with a record of 28 – 9.
Both teams taking the floor for the 2A championship game have made state tournament appearances measured in double digits. Martin’s Mill, in their 13th trip, lost in last year’s final but made their way back to another Saturday contest by way of an easy 78 – 45 win over Mason. LaRue LaPoynor was in the state bracket for the 11th time and punched their finals ticket with their 44 – 41 win over Claude. LaPoynor came into the game at 34 – 2 but those two losses were both at the hands of Martin’s Mill earlier in the season.
The first period didn’t offer up much to indicate that the third game was going to go another direction for the Lady Flyers as Martin’s Mill jumped out to a 10 -5 lead after one. Behind the play of Te’Aire Hambrick the second period was a different ballgame as LaPoynor outscored the Lady Mustangs 18 – 11 and took a 23 – 21 lead at the half. Hambrick, a senior, had nine at the break while classmate Jas Mitchell added eight more. For Martin’s Mill senior Briley Moon had seven in the first half and sophomore guard Abbie Orrick chipped in five more as well as seven rebounds.
The Lady Mustangs opened up the scoring in the third posting 20 points for the period and claiming a 41 – 38 lead entering the fourth. Martin’s Mill held the lead across the final period adding four more points to their advantage and taking home the title via a hard-fought 58 – 51 win.
Moon led the Champs in scoring with 22. Orrick, the MVP, posted a double – double of 12 points and 17 rebounds to aid the cause. Hambrick was a one man wrecking crew for the Lady Flyers posting 32 points on 13 of 30 shooting from the floor.
Martin’s Mill shot 18 of 42 as a team for 42.9 percent while LaPoynor was 20 for 48 at 41.7 percent. There was a huge difference from the line with the Lady Flyers going 5 for 9 while the Lady Mustangs were 17 for 26. Martin’s Mill won the rebound battle while both teams finished the day with 13 turnovers. The champions finish the year 40 – 1 while LaRue LaPoynor winds up at 34 – 3.
This trip to the state tournament ties Nazareth with the most ever appearances by any program inj state history. For good measure they came in already holding the mark for the most state titles won. Their 64 – 39 win over Hermleigh in the semis set up an opportunity to raise that bar just a little more. Dodd City, who fell in last year’s final to Nazareth, made their way to the rematch by way of an easy 73 – 44 win over Slocum.
Looking for redemption, the Lady Hornets came out like a swarm posting an 18 – 11 edge after the first period of play. Nazareth didn’t take kindly to that start and went on a 16 – 4 run across the second quarter to hold a 27 – 22 lead at intermission. Sophomore Cambrie Heiman, the eventual MVP, had 10 in the half while Dodd City was paced by 12 from senior Paige Granstaff.
Things got a bit frosty in the third as neither team was able to go for double figures and the period ended an eight all tie. Nazareth got back on the horse again in the fourth extending their lead by eight and finishing their repeat by way of the 56 – 43 win.
Heiman finished with 18 in the win while teammate Blakely Gerber, a junior, had a double – double of 17 points and 11 rebounds. Senior guard Kinzi Cleavinger chipped in 10 more. For Dodd City, Granstaff added four to her first half total to finish with 16 while freshman guard Dani Baccus added 11 of her own.
Dodd City had one more rebound than Nazareth but committed 17 turnovers to the Swiftettes 11. Neither team lit it up from the floor. Nazareth was 16 of 40 for 40 percent while Dodd City finished 14 for 37 and 37.8 percent. The Swiftettes were 21 of 25 from the line to 12 for 16 for the Lady Hornets. Nazareth finishes 36 – 3 on the year while Dodd City closes the book on a 37 – 2 ledger.
