SAN ANTONIO, Texas- With the Texas Democratic Primary now in the rearview mirror, Biden, Bernie and rest of the Democrats have moved on chasing delegates in state primaries yet to come. The Eyes of Texas in turn focused next on the 69th annual University Interscholastic League’s Girls Basketball State Championships.
Once again 24 teams made their way through the brackets to earn a spot in the coveted final four of six separate Lone Star State classifications. Converse Judson, Argyle and Nazareth all returned to defend their 6A, 4A, and 1A crowns respectively. For Argyle it was a chance for six in a row while Nazareth was looking to nab their fourth consecutive title. Defending 5A runner up Frisco Liberty was back looking to avenge a five point loss as were 3A runner up Woodville and 2A bridesmaid Grapeland who both fell by single digits in their 2019 finals. Nazareth made their 29th appearance in the state tournament while Duncanville (6A) appeared for the 26th time.
Things got underway at the Alamodome in San Antonio Thursday morning with a six game schedule of 1A, 3A and 5A semifinals. Friday saw the same timeline for the 2A, 4A and 6A semifinals setting up all six title contests beginning Saturday at 8:30 a.m. and wrapping up in the evening with a 8:30 p.m. tip for 6A bragging rights.
Coming into a state championship game undefeated adds to expectations and places an enormous target on your back. Cypress Creek entered the UIL 6A final Saturday with a 41 – 0 record and in turn the expectations and targets were growing and tugging just a bit more than they once had been. Throw in the caveat of an integral starter being disciplined and not available…now you’ve got some pressure. Oh yeah, you’re playing Duncanville, a team that has made 26 trips to the state tournament, survived recruiting accusations, hired a new coach and is led by a McDonald’s All-American…and by the way hasn’t lost a game since November 30th. Piece of cake. Well, not exactly. The Pantherettes had expectations of their own and, given their history, every reason to believe the championship was well within their grasp as well.
With their lineup thin in the backcourt due to the earlier mentioned suspension, Cypress Creek had some ballhandling issues right out of the gate. Duncanville’s vaulted defense was on display forcing the Cougars into 8 turnovers in the first period alone. Duncanville led 14 – 9 after one and as a result of those turnovers had 11 more field goal attempts than their shorthanded opponents. The second period saw Cy Creek take care of the ball better and more balance between opponents in terms of shot attempts. The Cougars kept the margin in single digits until 1:58 before the half when the Pantherettes pushed it to as much as 14 before the break when they took a 32 – 22 lead into the locker room. At the half, neither team was lighting it up from the field as Duncanville was shooting 34.4 (11 – 32) percent while the Cougars came in at 36 percent (7 – 20).
Kyndall Hunter came out in full attack mode in the third helping her teammates cut the lead to just 4 with 6:38 to go in the period. Unfortunately for Cypress Creek it was as close as they would get for the rest of the game. The Cougars stayed within reach most of the quarter but by the end of the third Duncanville had stretched it back out to a dozen going into the final period. By the end of the third Hunter had already posted 20 points but had little help in the scoring column. For the Pantherettes, Deja Kelly, the Texas Gatorade Player of the Year and eventual MVP, had 19 at the same point in the contest. Cypress Creek got it to 9 out of the gate in the fourth but it was downhill from there. Eventually the lead grew to as much as 19 before dropping back to 16 with the final score of 63 – 47.
Kelly led Duncanville with 23 which included a busy 12 of 15 night from the line. Freshman Tristen Taylor added 13 more while junior Zaria Rufus chipped in 12 more along with grabbing 8 boards. Hunter finished with 24 on 7 of 14 shooting including 4 of 8 from behind the arch in the loss. No other Cougar hit double digit scoring but senior Morgan Hill did pull 11 rebounds. For the game Duncanville went 20 of 49 from the floor while holding Cypress Creek to 15 for 38 shooting. The Cougars led on the boards 32 – 29 but took a beating in turnovers giving it up 19 times to just 6 miscues for Duncanville.
The Texas 5A Championship Game appeared to take a page from a few other games that seemed to spin their wheels out of the gate. The first few moments looked promising with San Antonio Veterans and Frisco Liberty trading multiple threes and looking like they might light up the scoreboard. Things cooled quickly however as Liberty couldn’t get another shot to drop following their second three at the 3:51 mark. S.A. Vets had a little more luck and held the “extensive” 11 – 6 lead after one period of play. The second quarter started as the first ended…ice cold. Neither team produced a point until Sophomore Jazzy Owens-Barnett’s lay-up at the 4:54 mark. Liberty got some momentum out of that ice breaker going on a 9 – 2 run to end the period and take a 15 – 13 lead at the half. Vet’s ended up 5 of 10 from the floor over the first two quarters while Liberty was 5 of 16.
The third had all the makings of track meet. Vet’s got the first five points of the period but Liberty responded right back from deep to keep things tied up. Another three with 3:33 to go and that was it…no more scoring. Over the course of an entire period Liberty attempted only 8 field goals while Vets got off just 7. In the end it was 6 – 5 Frisco for the period and 21 – 18 going into the final quarter. Both teams connected early in the fourth but at the 5:27 mark Liberty was ready to run some clock holding a 25 – 21 lead. In normal games and situations most would think that point to be much too early sit on a lead. However, this was a championship game and an ultra-low scoring affair. With the exception of a dramatic 4 point play by Sahara Jones the remaining scoring would come solely from the free throw line. Unfortunately for San Antonio Vet’s that didn’t quite work out in their favor. With 4 missed free throws including 3 front ends in that time frame, the night was destined to end badly for the Patriots. Ultimately, Liberty outscored Vets 10 – 5 over that final 5:27 to claim 35 – 26 win and top honors in 2020 Texas 5A.
Owens-Barnett was named MVP capping a 14 point effort that included a critical 8 of 10 from the line. Junior Maya Jain finished with 10 more for the Redhawks in the win. Jones led San Antonio Veterans with 15 points and paced the way on the glass as well with 8 boards for the game. Liberty won their state crown despite shooting just 33.3 percent from the floor. It helped that Vet’s could manage only 29 percent shooting themselves. Liberty controlled the boards 26 – 19 and both teams kept the turnovers down impressively with neither finishing with more than 4 as a team.
It has to be ominous for any team coming into a title game facing a five time defending champion. You wouldn’t be human if it didn’t get under your skin just a bit. At the same time, if you’re a team like Fairfield in search of your first ever State Championship you keep your focus on yourself…if you can. Unfortunately for the Eagles the juggernaut that Argyle can be at times welcomed them in a less than hospitable way to their first UIL final. It was 14 – 2 Argyle before coach Sally Whitaker could call her second time out at the 1:48 mark and finally get her squad to settle down. The first period ended 16 – 3 in favor of Argyle but Fairfield saw hope in the second quarter. Before the half they cut down the turnovers and connected on a few shots while also getting some stops against the rolling Argyle offense. A one point deficit was all they added to the total, trailing Argyle at the half 25 – 11.
Now…fast forward to Argyle’s first possession of the second half. A missed lay-up with an intentional foul, two missed free throws, an air balled wide open jumper. A sign of things to come. Next thing you know it’s a 10 point game at 27 – 17 and Argyle is calling time out. Before the quarter is out we’re looking at 27 – 22 and a whole new ballgame. From the start of the fourth the energy in the Alamodome changed. Fairfield got it to one with 5:15 to go. Jump ahead to a one point lead and Argyle with the ball yet dribbling into a 5 second held ball. Fairfield gave it back on a entry pass held ball and was forced to put Rhyle Mckinney on the line. McKinney only gets the first leading to one more look for Fairfield who takes things to overtime on a lay-up by freshman and eventual MVP McKinna Brackens with just two second left in regulation.
Argyle struck first in overtime grabbing one of two free throws and a jumper. Just 15 seconds later Fairfield tied it back up on a Jarahle Daniels three pointer. For two and a half minutes no one makes a dent in the score until Jada Cark gets the steal, lay-up and free throw to give Fairfield a 39 – 37 lead. Coming back the other way the lead official questionably calls a foul on a McKinney three point attempt in the backcourt. The SMU bound senior connects on the first two but comes up short on the third attempt. The Eagles are caught flatfooted and McKinney comes up with the offensive board and a great look to win…that ultimately rolls out. The Fairfield Eagles claim their first ever state title in dramatic overtime fashion over one of the state’s most dominant 4A programs. Their 40 – 39 win is what state tournament action, atmosphere and emotion are all about.
Brackens led the way in the win with a double – double of 15 points and 10 rebounds. The impressive freshman also was 7 of 11 from the floor and came up with 3 steals. Senior Braden Bossier had 10 more while Daniels was credited with 6 assists in the win. While struggling at the line, McKinney led Argyle with 25 that came largely off her 9 for 18 shooting. After shooting 16.7 percent in the first quarter, Fairfield finished the game 15 of 38 for 39.5 percent. Argyle shot 50 percent in the first and wound up going 14 of 36 for 38.9 percent. Fairfield won the rebound battle 31 – 23 including 13 boards on the offensive end.
Shallowater came into the 3A final by way of a 27 point win in the semis while their opponent, Woodville, had little trouble in their own 19 point semifinal victory. Both teams were timid out of the gate but once the lid was off each offered a run of their own in an essentially even first period with the Fillies holding the 13 – 10 edge after one. The second period was all Shallowater forcing Woodville coach Troy Carrell into calling two timeouts to stem the tide. Before the half was out the lead had ballooned to 13 and Eagles were still looking for answers. In addition to shooting just 31 percent as a team they also gave up 10 offensive rebounds on other end of the floor.
The third belonged to Fillie guard and eventual MVP Bree Brattain. The sophomore went off for 11 points to add to her 10 first half total while going 4 of 6 for the quarter. Woodville kept looking inside for power forward Jordyn Beaty but the 6-1 senior struggled to finish from the floor and the line. In the end Woodville was able to put up more points but couldn’t get the stops to gain any ground still trailing by 13 at 42 – 29. The fourth was more of the same as Shallowater bumped the lead up to 20 at one point and the Eagles continued struggling to make up ground throughout. When all was said and done, the Fillies had a comfortable 18 point cushion and some new hardware to take home to the red and black faithful.
Brattain led the scoring in the win with 29 points on 11 of 15 shooting. She was 2 of 4 from deep and went 5 for 6 from the line. Classmate Jenna Willer added 14 points in the win while junior Taylor Moravcik grabbed 11 rebounds. Woodville got a double – double from Beaty by way of 13 points and 12 boards. Fellow senior Jayda Argumon had 14 in the loss for the Eagles. For the game Shallowater shot 46.8 percent as a team while Woodville came home at 33.3 from the floor. The glass belonged to the Fillies as well with a 36 – 30 margin as did the turnovers where they had only 8 to Woodville’s 14.
Is there such thing as a generic state championship game? The 2A battle between Gruver and Muenster may have needed a barcode on the first half of play as both teams mirrored each other’s efforts and production leading to an extraordinarily undefined half of basketball. Unfortunately, state title games are intended to do exactly the opposite. After one quarter of play the Lady Hounds led the explosive offensive showcase by a margin of 10 to 8. By the time they had eight more minutes under their belt Muenster had evened things back up scorching the nets for a 17 – 17 tie at the half. Combined the two teams shot 9 for 37 from the field for the half. Gruver held a 17 – 14 edge on the boards but turned it over 7 times to 6 for Muenster. The third didn’t offer much in term of offensive changes with both teams still shooting under 30 percent for the game (Combined 14 for 55 after three periods) and Gruver holding the 26 – 23 lead entering the final period.
Championship basketball will bring out a players best if you give it long enough. Throughout the fourth period both teams began to look like the talented teams who earned the right to play for the 2A bragging rights in Texas. Muenster finally took the lead at the 4:58 mark on an old fashioned three point play going up 32 – 30. That began a solid back and forth with both teams making plays worthy of a state title game. Ultimately, back to back turnovers with under 10 seconds decided an exciting finish despite the ultra-slow start. Gruver had the ball with 6 seconds and tied but handed it over on a traveling call. Out of a time out going from three quarters, Muenster gave it right back on an ill-advised inbounds pass. Even more ill-advised was the subsequent foul that immediately followed. Sophomore Kami Whitehead knocked down two free throws for a 41 – 39 Gruver lead with .06 remaining on the clock. Another turnover followed allowing MVP and fellow sophomore Camryn Armes to nail 1 of 2 and seal the win at 42 – 39.
Armes led the way in the win with 16 points including 9 which came from behind the arch. Whitehead, who hit the critical free throws at the end, paced the way on the boards grabbing 8 in 19 minutes of play. Muenster had two in double figures. Sophomore Marti McCoy paced the scoring with 13 while senior Kaitlin Hennigan added 10 more of her own. As a team, Gruver was 12 of 37 from the floor for 32.4 percent. Muenster was slightly better finishing 12 for 32 at 37.5 percent. Both teams knocked down 5 long balls while Gruver was 13 for 15 from the line and Muenster finished 10 of 18. Gruver held a big advantage on the boards 32 – 20 but committed 13 turnovers to just 10 for the Lady Hornets.
In their third meeting for a State Tournament title both the defending champs from Nazareth and Lipan came out tentative. Over the course of the first period, combined, the two finalists shot 4 of 15 from the floor and turned it over 9 times producing just 10 points together. Nazareth held a whopping 2 point edge after eight minutes of play at 6 – 4. Both teams settled down in the second but unfortunately for Lipan the Swiftettes got just a little more comfortable. A 16 – 5 run over the final 5:56 turned a 13 – 9 Lipan lead into a commanding 25 – 14 Nazareth score at the half. Lipan shot just 21 percent from the floor for the half and turned the ball over 12 times before the break.
The Lady Indians came out aggressive in the third putting up the first points but Nazareth answered with a three of their own. After some back and forth play it was still an 11 point margin at the 3:13 mark. Ultimately, the Swiftettes used a late 6 – 0 run to increase their lead after three to a comfortable 34 – 19. In the fourth Nazareth extended their edge to as many as 16. It wasn’t until the 7:03 mark in the final period that Lipan was able to put up their first points since 6:11 remained in the third quarter. Yet, they were still in contention trailing by just 10 with 2:05 to go but the foul line parade did them no favors. Nazareth’s lead dropped to nine twice but the Lady Indians could get no closer falling 44 -31 in the end.
MVP and Nazareth junior Emma Kleman led the way in the win with 11 points and 5 rebounds. Makenzy Corrales added 8 more in the win for the Swiftettes. Freshman Chelsea Lott had 10 off the bench for the Lady Indians in the loss including a 3 for 3 effort from three point range.
The frosty rims were the downfall for Lipan as they could muster just 18.2 percent as a team from the floor. Nazareth countered with just 37 percent but it was enough. Ironically Lipan had 17 more field goal attempts but couldn’t get the ice melted to make a difference. The Swiftettes won the battle on the boards 33 – 28 but did commit 21 turnovers to just 16 for Lipan.
