SAN ANTONIO, Texas-State tournaments create an atmosphere all their own that is hard to find in any other athletic settings at any level of play. Few things are ever embraced by an entire town as an athletic team “going to state”. A championship caliber season is something special that players, coaches, families and fans will talk about for years to come. Trophies and nets will ultimately find permanent homes in lobby showcases and are destined to gather dust with the passage of time. However, one glance at them will forever generate stories, memories and occasionally some well-intended lies bringing back a smile and “that feeling” all over again.
While often “profiled” for a one of a kind obsession with high school football, few states embrace the entire scholastic athletic landscape to the same degree as the state of Texas. A common Lone Star State cliché is that “everything is big in Texas”. With six classifications and a State Tournament set in the Alamodome, the University Interscholastic League and its member schools personify that description. The first day of practice for the 2018 – 19 season was way back on October 17 and the dream of many players and coaches was to be one of those six schools taking home nets from the dome come March. Ultimately, only 24 made the trip to San Antonio last weekend still within reach of those tantalizing championship dreams.
The 68th version of the UIL Girls’ Basketball State Tournament got underway Thursday with the 1A, 3A and 5A semifinals while the 2A, 4A and 6A classes were on tap Friday. Saturday, as always, featured all six championship contests culminating with the 6A match-up to wrap up the action. This year’s semifinalists came in with a combined total average of 32.9 wins against just 4.4 losses. Defending state champions from four different classes were back to defend their 2018 titles. Nazareth in 1A, Martins Mill 2A, Argyle 4A and Amarillo in 5A returned to the dome looking to add to their championship hardware collection and all four returned to their respective class finals on Saturday. Dodd City (1A) and Converse Judson (6A), both state runner ups one year ago, were also back looking to settle scores and complete some unfinished business. Two teams brought with them sparkling undefeated records and hopes of the ultimate accomplishment. Mount Pleasant Chapel Hill came in at 35 – 0 while Martin’s Mill was defending their 2018 crown with a 37 – 0 resume.
Thursday and Friday set the stage for some exciting championship match-ups. Day one semis were decided by an average of 15.1 points per game but did feature an overtime contest as well as two other games that came down to a couple of possessions. All of the day two semifinals with the exception of one (11) were single digit final margins with the combined average standing at just six points per game.
Dodd City came into Saturday’s UIL Division I championship game hoping that the third time would be a charm. The past two seasons the Lady Hornets had fallen in the final to Nazareth and coming in with a 33 – 3 record were hoping 2019 might be the year. Nazareth certainly came in with ideas of their own. Playing in their sixth consecutive final, the 30 – 6 Swiftettes were looking to claim their fifth crown in six years and third in a row. Neither team was pushed in their semifinal matchups as Nazareth advanced with a 48 – 17 win over Hermleigh while Dodd City punched their ticket with a 52 – 33 effort versus Moulton.
Nazareth jumped out quick behind some strong three point shooting holding a 16 -6 lead with 2:19 to go in the first. Dodd City got on track before the end of the period cutting it to a 19 – 11 gap after one period. The Swiftettes shot 63.6 percent from the floor including 5 of 8 from three point range. Dodd City didn’t help themselves with four turnovers in the quarter. The second stanza did no favors for either team or offensive basketball in general as the two teams combined for just six points total leading to a 20 -16 Nazareth lead at the break. The hot shooting completely disappeared for the Swiftettes as they went 0 for 11 from the floor over the entire eight minute span and saw their lead cut to just four entering the second half. Nazareth opened the third period missing their next six attempts before getting the lid off and stretching the lead to 10 at the 3:19 mark, 31 – 21. At the end of three the Lady Hornets were facing an uphill battle with a 36 – 23 deficit and just one quarter remaining. Unfortunately Nazareth’s momentum carried into the final period as they stretched the lead to 54 – 33 while claiming that coveted third championship in a row.
Despite the frosty second period, Nazareth ended up shooting 40.4 percent as a team including a 9 for 22 effort from behind the arch. Dodd City struggled at just 30.6 percent from the floor while connecting on 6 of their own 22 three point attempts. Nazareth won the battle on the boards as well grabbing 33 to 25 for Dodd City. The Swiftettes also pulled 13 offensive boards in the win. The Lady Hornets were hurt by their 18 turnovers that translated into 15 points while Nazareth committed just 11 for the game.
Most Valuable Player Blakely Gerber, a senior, led the way in the win with 18 on 6 of 10 shooting. Classmate Hallie Kleman added 15 and junior Cambrie Heiman chipped in 14 more, both shooting over 50 percent as well. For Dodd City, Delaney Pilliod was the only player to hit double figures finishing with 12, 9 of which came in the first half. Impressive 6-3 sophomore post Journie Hilliard was limited in scoring but did grab 14 rebounds in the loss.
Grapeland returned to the State Tournament this year for the first time since 1989. Their reward after a hard fought 61 – 54 semifinal win over Mason was the chance to take on undefeated Martin’s Mill who was defending their 2018 championship and making their fourteenth trip to the State Tournament. The Lady Mustangs made their way back to the final by edging Panhandle 49 – 47 in their Friday semifinal contest.
Grapeland looked like a rookie tournament team out of the gate falling behind quickly to the tune of a 12 – 4 opening run by the Martin’s Mill. The Lady Mustangs extended it to 18 – 4 before the Sandies got a little footing finishing the quarter down 20 – 7.
Reflecting Head Coach Anthony DeCello’s intensity, Grapeland cut into the lead across the second period by way of defense and transition. Bucket by bucket they narrowed the gap ultimately knotting things up at the 1:13 mark 26 – 26. Martin’s Mill responded before the half putting five points between them and Grapeland taking a 31 – 26 lead into the locker room. For the quarter the Lady Mustangs were just 3 of 15 from the floor while the Sandies closed the gap by way of 8 for 15 shooting.
To open the third, momentum swung back the way of Grapeland as they went on a 15 -2 run over the course of the first five minutes of the period. It didn’t help Martin’s Mill that junior guard Abbie Orrick was sidelined briefly in the period with an injury helping the Sandies stretch the lead to as much as eight. True to form, however, the Lady Mustangs responded again closing the gap to 47 – 45 by the end of the period. Both teams turned the ball over six times in the quarter but Grapeland’s 8 for 13 shooting outdistanced Martin Mill’s 4 of 10.
The fourth was destined to be a battle and did not disappoint anyone courtside in the Alamodome. From a tie at the 7:30 mark to a single possession game with 15 seconds on the clock the game defined what state tournaments are all about. In the end Grapeland got a clean look at a three at the 15 second mark to tie coming out of a timeout but couldn’t get it to go down. Martin’s Mill added one more after the obligatory foul leading to the 60 – 56 final and Martin’s Mill’s third state title since 2016.
Grapeland had the shooting edge from the floor connecting on 23 of 49 attempts for 46.9 percent while Martin’s Mill came home 23 for 51 at 45.1 percent. The Sandies also led on the glass pulling 34 rebounds to 29 for the Lady Mustangs. Martin’s Mill turned the ball over 16 times while Grapeland gave it up 20 times. The Lady Mustangs converted those turnovers into 25 points while the Sandies produced 20 form the Martin’s Mill miscues.
Freshman Jada Celsur led the way in the win claiming MVP honors while posting 16 points including the key three pointer down the stretch that sealed the win and a perfect 39 and 0 season. Senior Taylor Sparks added 13 more with 5 of 9 shooting from the floor. Orrick was also good for another eight points and seven rebounds. For 29 and 9 Grapeland, Sophomore Teira Jones had 17 points despite considerable time on the bench with foul problems. Senior Hannah Chipman had a double – double of 14 points and 11 rebounds while junior Kenya Woods added 13 more to the cause.
When you get an undefeated team and a one loss team lining up for a state title, there’s going to be some extra pride on the line to go along with that natural drive for a championship. Mount Pleasant Chapel Hill came into Saturday’s 3A final with a glistening 36 – 0 record while their opponent, Woodville, had suffered just one defeat against 39 wins. For Chapel Hill, it was also their first trip ever to the state tournament and the third for Woodville though just their first since 2009. The Eagles rolled into the finals by way of a comfortable 30 point win Thursday over Poth, 68 – 48. Chapel Hill had a much tougher road battling Wall to overtime before claiming their spot in the final with a 53 – 49 win.
Just six seconds into the game and Woodville was on the board with a three and they didn’t slow down from there. Ultimately stretching their early lead to a 10 – 2 gap they forced Chapel Hill coach Matt Garrett to call a time out to right the ship. The Lady Devils slowed the pace and found the range themselves getting a three point play at the buzzer to make it a 17 – 10 Woodville lead after one. The Eagles shot 53.8 percent in the period while Chapel Hill opened somewhat chilly going just 3 of 12 to start.
The momentum carried into the second for the Lady Devils as they scored early and often forcing Woodville to call their own time out to stop the bleeding. It worked, to a degree. Chapel Hill tied it up at 17 at the 6:11 mark and took their first lead just a possession later. Woodville responded as the lead went back and forth with the Lady Devils ultimately holding a 26 – 24 edge at the half. Both teams turned the ball over in the quarter with Woodville giving it up 6 times and Chapel Hill giving back 5 times themselves.
While the teams traded buckets early in the third, the Lady Devils went on a 12 – 0 run to extend the lead to 38 – 26 before Woodville could get their defense back on track. Before the end of the third they would use a 9 – 2 run of their own to cut the margin to 40 – 35 entering the fourth. Things were all tied up at 43 with four minutes remaining before Chapel Hill would use a 12 -3 run to grab the crown and put the finishing touch on an 37 win undefeated season.
After their cold start Chapel Hill wound up shooting 41.2 percent from the floor including 55.6 percent in the second half alone. Woodville wasn’t far off that pace going 20 for 52 as a team coming home at 38.5 percent. Despite the loss Woodville still claimed a 29 – 25 edge on the glass including 12 offensive boards. Both teams took better care of the ball down the stretch as each finished with just 14 turnovers. Ironically, Woodville outscored Chapel Hill from the floor (44 – 32 ) but it was the line that made the difference as the Lady Devils were 23 for 24 while the Eagles went just 2 of 4.
Senior point guard Ja’Mya Bishop was named MVP finishing with 18 points on 6 of 7 shooting from the floor and a 5 for 6 effort at the line. Mason Garrett led the Lady Devils with 19 largely thanks to her 10 for 10 shooting from the free throw line. Junior forward Jordyn Beaty paced the Eagles in the loss with a double – double of 22 points and 10 rebounds. Fellow junior Jayda Argumon added 10 more with 4 of 7 shooting including 2 for 4 from deep.
Hardin Jefferson brought a 34 – 4 record into Saturday’s 5A final while making the most of their seventh trip to the state tournament and their first since 2001. Their opponent in the championship game seems to have a stranglehold on the 5A classification. Argyle, 30 – 7 coming in, had made six straight trips (8th overall) to the state tournament and was looking to claim an incredible fifth title in a row. Both teams had to battle their way into the final. Argyle edged Dallas Lincoln 53 – 51 while Hardin Jefferson just got past Burnet by a final count of 49 – 44.
Out of the gate it looked as though Hardin Jefferson was looking to change the landscape of 5A jumping out to a 10 – 3 start forcing Coach Chance Westmoreland to call a time out to settle the Lady Eagles down. Whatever he shared worked as Argyle closed the gap to 12 – 11 for the quarter highlighted by Rhyle McKinney putting up five points in the final 44 seconds alone. Argyle was 3 for 12 while McKinney was the only player to score in the period. Hardin Jefferson shot 5 for 10 as a team as Ashlon Jackson was 3 for 4 but committed also 2 early personal fouls.
Argyle took the lead at the 7:29 mark of the second period as part of a 7 – 2 run and ultimately posted a couple of six point margins before the break. Ashlon Jackson’s three at the buzzer cut the margin to 27 – 23 at the half. After a 1 for 10 start from the floor for the game, Argyle came back to go 6 of 14 for the remainder of the second period. McKinney finished the first 16 minutes with 21 points on 5 of 13 shooting and an 8 for 9 effort at the line. Jackson had 13 for Hardin Jefferson while shooting 5 of 8 from the floor.
Hardin Jefferson came out strong in the third getting the lead to four before Argyle bumped it back to seven…and then things went cold. Argyle went 5 minutes and 14 seconds without scoring and Hardin Jefferson began a scoreless streak of their own that would extend two minutes into the fourth. At the end of the period the score stood at just 37 – 30. McKinney had been held to just 3 points in the period and despite the scoring drought, the Lady Eagles had still outscored the Lady Hawks 10 to 7 over the quarter.
The fourth belonged to Argyle early as they stretched the lead to 44 – 30 before Hardin Jefferson got back on the board with a free throw at the 5:59 mark, their first points in almost five minutes of play. The Lady Eagles held fast across the period before they had to fend off Hardin Jefferson one last time as the Lady Hawks got it down to 49 – 41 before clock ran out on them. With this win Argyle joins just two other teams who have won five Texas state championships in a row.
Argyle certainly didn’t light it up from the floor but their 12 of 41 effort at 29.3 percent was enough to get the job done. Hardin Jefferson came home at 38.5 percent on 15 of 39 shooting. The Lady Eagles had a decided edge on the boards 40 – 26 but turned it over 18 times to just 7 for the Lady Hawks.
Mckinney, the 5A MVP, cooled in the second half but finished with 25 points in part due to a 12 of 15 free throw effort. Brooklyn Carl, also a junior, added 10 more to the winning cause. Senior Kennedy Reaves didn’t get in the scoring column but led the way on the boards with 10. Jackson, just a sophomore, paced Hardin Jefferson with 14 points on 5 for 10 shooting. Senior Tunisha Strong added 10 points and 9 rebounds to wrap up her career as a Lady Hawk.
Making their eighth trip to the State Tournament, Amarillo was out to go back to back and defend their 2018 title. Frisco Liberty, the runner up in 2016, was making their second appearance and looking to spoil any celebration ideas the Sandies might be hoping for Saturday. Amarillo had a tough challenge in their semifinal with a dynamic Fort Bend Hightower team ultimately prevailing 64 – 53. In a low scoring affair, Frisco Liberty edged Kerrville Tivy 34 – 28 to advance to Saturday’s championship game.
Contrary to earlier games Saturday the Division V game was back and forth from the start. Neither team could gather any traction and were tied at 10 all at 2:29 and 13 all at the end of the quarter. The second period wasn’t an offensive showcase either as Frisco Liberty held a slight three point lead at 20 – 17 at the break. For the half Amarillo shot 6 of 13 from the floor while Liberty connected on 8 of 16. Amarillo challenged themselves with nine turnovers while Frisco Liberty did themselves no favor with seven of their own.
After trading hoops to start the third, Liberty opened up a slight 27 -21 lead by the 5:38 mark. Unfortunately for the Redhawks three turnovers in the next 1:44 closed the gap to 28 – 26 and provided much needed momentum for the Sandies. It was tied once again with 1:52 left in the period at 28 all before Liberty went on a short run including a floater at the buzzer to make it 34 – 28 entering the fourth period.
Frisco Liberty stumbled out of the gate in the fourth with turnovers and a six point lead quickly became two with 6:29 remaining. A timeout was followed by another turnover and Amarillo had things tied back up at 36 at the 5:03 mark. The Sandies began to roll at that point opening their own lead to 43 – 36 with just under three minutes to go. Liberty hadn’t made it all the way to the final to cash it in before the buzzer and the next thing you know it’s down to 45 – 42 and the Redhawks force a turnover with 39 seconds remaining. An offensive foul negated the opportunity to tie things up and the ensuing free throws made it a two possession game with just 15 clicks on the clock. At the buzzer the Sandies were celebrating two in a row and a hard fought 47 – 42 win.
For the game Amarillo shot it well going 16 of 31 for 51.6 percent from the floor. Frisco Liberty finished 14 for 32 at 46.8 percent. Liberty won the battle on the glass by 10 while Amarillo claimed turnover honors forcing 19 while only committing 15 of their own. Amarillo finished the season at 37 and 4 while Frisco Liberty closed the book on a 32 and 11 campaign.
In the win, MVP Ashlyn Milton, a senior, put up 16 points and collected five rebounds and four steals. Teammates Brooke Urban, Zayla Tinner and Tatym Barnes each had eight in the win. For Liberty, senior MaKenzi Glover paced the scoring with 12 while classmate Randi Thompson added 10 more. Fellow senior Kailyn Lay finished with seven rebounds, four assists and three steals.
The grand finale of any state tournament is more often than not the largest classification and in Texas the schedule read no different. The 18th and final game of the 2019 UIL State Tournament featured last year’s runner up, Converse Judson and DeSoto who was making just their second trip ever to the big dance. Judson, making their third consecutive appearance in the state tournament, came in with a 36 – 5 record while DeSoto brought their 32 – 6 credentials to the arena. In the semis Judson edged a tough Allen team 58 – 47 while Desoto got by Humble Summer Creek 58 – 49.
Things opened up tight with four lead changes and three ties in the first five minutes before Converse Judson and senior Corina Carter got going. A 13 – 7 run to end the quarter gave the Rockets a 21 – 15 lead after eight minutes of play. Carter finished the period with 11 points on 2 for 4 shooting from three point range and a 5 of 5 scorecard at the free throw line. As a team Judson shot 54.5 percent while DeSoto connected at a 35.7 percent clip. Freshman Sa’Myah Smith had 7 for the Lady Eagles.
The Rocket lead held throughout the second quarter and was even extended to nine at one point. However, DeSoto was able to cut two points off the lead going into the half trailing by just a 31 – 27 gap. Judson didn’t help themselves across the first half committing 12 turnovers while the Lady Eagles had just 4. The Rockets were still shooting it well after two periods sporting a combined 58.8 percent from the floor while DeSoto was able to hang close despite shooting just 34.5 percent for the half. Carter had 16 by the break while Smith had hit double figures for the Lady Eagles with 11.
DeSoto hit their stride in the third cutting the lead to just one at the 6:41 mark and finally grabbing their first lead since the opening possession with 2:02 to go in the quarter. Judson wasn’t letting them slip away and hung tight trailing by just one at the end of the period, 38 – 37 despite scoring only six points in the quarter. The Lady Eagles posted 10 points of their own getting five off Rocket turnovers.
Judson grabbed the lead back at the 6:21 mark of the fourth and held a slim margin till DeSoto took a 44 – 43 lead with just 2:21 on the clock. Carter came back to life with a layup and a jumper to put Judson back on top by three with 50 seconds remaining in the game. Tiffany McGarity added two free throws to make it a five point game with 23 seconds and though Smith added two more for the Lady Eagles the title belonged to Converse Judson as they got the win they came up short on just one year ago, 49 – 46.
Judson finished 17 for 36 from the floor at 47.2 percent while DeSoto wound up 17 for 53 and 32.1 percent. The Rockets were 8 for 19 from three point range while the Lady Eagles shot just 1 of 5. DeSoto had a slight edge on the boards 32 – 29 with 18 of those rebounds coming on the offensive glass. Judson also turned it over more giving it up 21 times to just 9 turnovers for DeSoto.
Carter was named 6A MVP behind her 20 point effort. She shot 6 of 12 from the field including 3 for 7 from deep plus also grabbed seven rebounds from the backcourt. Impressive sophomore guard Kierra Sanderlin added 15 with her own impressive 6 for 10 shooting slate. Smith paced the DeSoto scoring posting a double – double of 17 points and 11 rebounds. Fellow freshman Amina Muhammad added 10 more while grabbing 6 rebounds. Senior Bria Patterson added 9 points and 7 rebounds in the loss.
