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Category: Girls basketball
GAME STORY: Wylie girls use athleticism, strong shooting to post big win over Cornerstone Christian
Nine players on the Wylie girls basketball team were in the program two years ago when the Lady Bulldogs were facing Lubbock Monterey and the nation’s top recruit, Aaliyah Chavez.
That experience paid off on Friday night at Bulldog Gymnasium as Wylie claimed a 65-49 non-district win over San Antonio Cornerstone Christian, a squad that features Grand Canyon University signee Yasmeen Schmidt and a pair of juniors in Regina Mendoza and Makenzie Bailey that are being looked at by Division I programs.
Despite seeing Schmidt score 33 points, Wylie coach Duane Hopper said that his team learned a lot that can be beneficial once the playoffs start.
GAME STORY: Putback at buzzer lifts Memorial to win over Cooper boys in District 4-5A opener
After struggling for most of the game to put the ball through the net, and spending the first 28 minutes trailing as a result, the Cooper boys basketball team rallied late in the fourth quarter to put itself in position to steal a district-opening win over Wichita Falls Memorial on Friday at Cougar Gym.
But the Mavericks scored seven second-chance points in the final three minutes — the last two on a putback by Nash Melton as time expired — to escape Abilene with a dramatic 38-36 win.
The buzzer-beater by Melton completed a doubleheader sweep for Memorial, which picked up a 54-29 win in the girls game earlier in the evening.
GAME STORY: Salinas, Wilcox lead Maidens to crucial win over Tolar
TOLAR — With a piece of the girls District 8-3A lead at stake, it wasn’t difficult to project an intense matchup between visiting Comanche and the Tolar Lady Rattlers on Friday.
And that is precisely what those in attendance were treated to with a 60-58 Comanche win in Game 1 of a varsity doubleheader at the Tolar High School Gymnasium. The Tolar boys took the nightcap, topping Comanche 64-19.
J’Lee Salinas scored 24 points and Kaysi Wilcox added 20 more to lead the Comanche girls (14-9, 7-0 District 8-3A), who overcame deficits of seven points in the second quarter and six points in the third to get the win.
Tolar (16-9, 5-2) was led by Macy Price with 22 points, Atley Kolb with 15 and Jaycee Jones with 11.
Big Country Girls Basketball Statistical Leaders (through Jan. 15): Scoring, rebounding, assists, steals, FT Pct., pass deflections and blocks
Below are the current season statistical leaders for Big Country girls basketball through Jan. 13.
This database will be continually updated for our subscribers throughout the regular season, using only those statistics submitted by area coaches.
Is your favorite team missing? If so, please pass along a friendly reminder to your coach to check his or her email for our weekly stats request. We’ll be happy to add them to our database after they arrive.
PHOTO GALLERY: Gordon-Eula girls basketball (32 images)
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GAME STORY: Anson boys, Hawley girls earn wins in Jones County Showdown
ANSON — Tuesday night featured a pair of thrilling finishes at Tiger Gymnasium as the Hawley girls claimed a 50-47 win in overtime while the Anson boys held on for a 47-46 win in District 10-2A play.
It wasn’t just the scores that were nearly identical as both games featured a frenetic end to regulation.
The girls game featured a Hawley turnover in the offensive end with 7.69 seconds to play before Anson was called for a travel with four seconds left on the clock. The Hawley boys missed a layup with 11 seconds to play before the Tigers were called for an over-and-back violation with four seconds left.
GAME STORY: No. 2 Gordon girls top No. 1 Eula in classic battle of unbeatens
EULA — Yes, it lived up to the hype. In fact, Tuesday’s showdown between the top-ranked Eula girls and No. 2 Gordon may have exceeded the expectations of some.
Faith Garnett scored 17 points and sister Grace Garnett added 16 more to lead Gordon (22-0, 1-0 District 13-1A) to a thrilling 47-43 win in a battle of unbeatens at Mary Mosley Gymnasium.
In a game that featured 21 combined 3-pointers between the two clubs, seven lead changes and five ties, Gordon used a 7-3 spurt in the final 3:51 to walk away with the win.
While suffering its first loss of the year, Eula (25-1, 1-1) was led by Kamryn Franklin with 12 and Emma Damron with 11.
“With the respect we have for Eula and the job coach Fostel does with them, we knew coming in that it would be two teams that are well-prepared and that would land punches,” Gordon coach Matt Garnett said. “Our whole goal was to be able to take some of those punches and we felt like we could throw some.
“But we know how good they are and I was just really proud.”
GAME STORY: Cooper girls stymie archrival Abilene High in 43-18 win, boost playoff hopes in District 4-5A
Entering Tuesday’s crosstown rivalry game off lopsided losses to open District 4-5A play, both the Abilene High and Cooper girls basketball teams were looking to break into the win column and get an early leg up in the race for the league’s fourth playoff spot.
With just four wins between them coming into the week, both squads have faced their share of adversity this season. But competing in a five-team district guarantees that at least one of them will close a tough year of transition and/or growth in the playoffs.
On Tuesday at Eagle Gym, it was Cooper that took a running leap toward that goal, using relentless pressure defense to stifle Abilene High in a dominant 43-18 victory. The Lady Cougars, who forced more turnovers than points allowed, trailed only once (at 5-4 early in the second quarter), scoring 17 second-quarter points to pull away for a commanding 21-7 lead by halftime.
THIS WEEK IN GIRLS BASKETBALL: A quick peek at girls hoops around the area
With the arrival of the new year, Big Country Preps will again take a look at the area boys and girls basketball scenes each Sunday night until the end of the regular season.
Top games, top results and the week’s biggest surprise will be on the menu.
Let’s dive in, shall we?
GAME STORY: Brownwood uses defense, two big runs to stop Lady Rams
BROWNWOOD — A sluggish start was nothing that a 14-1 run couldn’t fix.
Trailing Mineral Wells 8-7 after one quarter, the sixth-ranked Brownwood girls combined a zone trap with solid halfcourt defense to take control of the game on the way to a 47-27 win in the District 6-4A opener for both clubs.
Nylah Hall scored 12 points and Trinity Roberts added 11 more to lead Brownwood (21-3, 1-0), which turned the 8-7 deficit into a 21-9 lead by the 3:05 mark of the second quarter.
Mineral Wells (14-11, 0-1) was led by Addyson Moore with 10 points. Jentry Jeter and Aniya Richardson added six apiece.
“We’ve got to put it all together,” Brownwood coach Heather Hohertz said. “This is where it counts and we are thankful and grateful for this victory. But we’ve got to get better.”
PHOTO GALLERY: Sweetwater-Jim Ned basketball doubleheader (39 images)
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GAME STORY: Jim Ned sweeps varsity doubleheader with Sweetwater (+two boxscores)
TUSCOLA — While the two games took on a different character, both ends of Tuesday’s varsity doubleheader between Jim Ned and Sweetwater had one thing in common: both were frustrating for SHS.
In Game 1, the Jim Ned girls used a 14-0 start and a 38-point night by Lily Bryant to hand Sweetwater a 56-39 loss at Bill Thornton Arena. The nightcap saw the Indians down Sweetwater 49-47 in a physical, slow-tempo duel in which Jim Ned executed just well enough down the stretch to keep the Mustangs at bay.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Wall big man takes our first award of 2026
Nobody played a tougher schedule over the holidays than the Wall boys. And nobody had a bigger impact on their successful run through a brutal five-game stretch than 6-foot-7 big man Paxton Brake who takes our first Big Country Preps Player of the Week for 2026.
Brake, a junior, scored a combined 70 points through the break, averaging 14 points, 9.2 boards and 3.2 assists to help the Hawks go 4-1 over the break with wins over Decatur, Lorena, Ponder and Sweetwater, along with a close loss to perennial power Brock.
Wall enters this week at 17-5 overall.
TOURNAMENT CENTRAL: Late 3 fuels Eula girls past Jim Ned, to second straight Eula Holiday Classic title
EULA — Before last year, Eula coach Josh Fostel had never won a Eula Holiday Classic championship in the tournament’s long and illustrious history. On Wednesday, he and his Lady Pirates won their second straight.
After racing out to a double-digit lead in the first half of Wednesday’s championship game, EHS saw Jim Ned rally to take its first lead of the contest on a Lily Bryant 3-pointer with just over 17 seconds remaining. But Reagan Barr answered with a clutch 3 of her own with five seconds to play to lift the Lady Pirates to a thrilling 49-47 win at Mary Mosley Gymnasium.
That action-packed title game capped a strong overall tournament for area squads, as Tolar topped Hermleigh 54-46 to take the third-place game and Clyde defeated Spur 53-44 to win the consolation title. Hico also finished sixth in the 16-team girls field, falling to Nazareth 44-27 in the fifth-place game after knocking off Holliday 50-40 in its third-round game on Tuesday.
TOURNAMENT CENTRAL: Eula, Jim Ned girls lock up spots in championship game of Eula Holiday Classic
EULA — The Eula and Jim Ned girls basketball teams played their way into the championship game of the Eula Holiday Classic on Tuesday, scoring semifinal wins over Tolar and Hermleigh, respectively, to set up a clash of Big Country powers for the tournament title on Wednesday.
The Lady Pirates rallied from a 12-9 first-quarter deficit to pull away for a 37-27 win over the Lady Rattlers, while the Lady Indians pulled off the comeback of the tournament, digging out of a 30-11 second-quarter hole to slip past the Lady Cardinals 51-50 in a thriller.
Eula and Jim Ned will tip off at 2:40 p.m. at the Mary Mosley Gymnasium for the championship following a noon third-place game between Tolar and Hermleigh. At Eula Middle School, meanwhile, Clyde will play Spur for the tournament’s consolation title after defeating New Deal 55-47 in the consolation semifinals.
TOURNAMENT CENTRAL: Tolar, Eula girls earn way to semifinals on first day of Eula Holiday Classic
EULA — The Tolar and Eula girls basketball teams were the first to punch their tickets to the semifinals on the opening day of the Eula Holiday Classic, earning a pair of wins on Monday to earn a matchup against each other on Tuesday for a spot in Wednesday’s championship game.
Tolar followed a 54-42 win over Clyde in its opener with a 49-41 victory over Hico in the quarterfinals, while Eula picked up double-digit wins over larger programs from New Deal (36-24) and Holliday (52-38).
The other semifinal qualifiers on the girls side of the tournament will be determined Tuesday morning, following quarterfinals matchups between Nazareth and Jim Ned (9:20 a.m.) and Springtown and Hermleigh (10:40 a.m.). Jim Ned defeated Strawn 49-37 in its opener, while Hermleigh routed Andrews 89-56.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Jaybird takes our final award for 2025 with remarkable effort
In helping the Jayton Jaybirds to a second-straight state title last week, senior running back Bode Ham not only produced the top game in our coverage area, but his performance will likely remain part of six-man lore forever.
With Jayton topping Richland Springs 99-54, Ham’s numbers were nothing short of shocking, with 430 yards rushing and a state championship record 10 TDs on 28 carries.
For good measure, he was 3 of 4 through the air for 118 yards and an additional three scores, giving him 548 total yards and a direct hand in a state championship-record 13 touchdowns at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
GAME STORY: Stephenville girls grind out 30-20 over Cooper in defensive slugfest
Frustrated at times by Cooper’s athleticism and defensive intensity, the Stephenville girls basketball team found itself in a dogfight late in the third quarter Tuesday at Cougar Gym. But after leading just 15-12 at halftime and 21-17 with 10 minutes remaining in the game, the Honeybees closed the contest on a 9-3 run to grind out a 30-20 win.
SHS made just 10 shots from the field in a physical defensive game that saw 17 field goals made between the teams. But coach Jason Hodges’ squad held the Lady Cougars to five points or fewer in three of the four quarters to record its fifth straight win.
The victory improved the Honeybees to 10-2 on the year, while Cooper fell to 1-12 with the loss.
GAME STORY: Wylie girls push through slow start to run away from Graham
It took the Wylie girls basketball team a few minutes to find its stride Tuesday, but once the Lady Bulldogs did they never lost it in a 68-20 win over Graham at Bulldog Gym.
Tied with the Lady Blues at 4-all more than halfway through the opening quarter, Wylie closed the period on a 14-2 run and extended its 18-6 first-quarter lead to 34-13 by halftime to set the tone for the lopsided win.
Using aggressive defense to speed Graham up and force turnovers, the Lady Bulldog never allowed more than seven points in any quarter. And on the other end of the floor, coach Duane Hopper’s team moved the ball through and around the Lady Blues’ zone to get open looks both on the perimeter and in the lane.
The result was a convincing win that improved Wylie’s record on the season to 13-2 with another month to go before the start of District 4-5A play.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Wylie senior earns this week’s award
It’s one thing to pour in points.
It’s quite another to do it against difficult competition in a big-school tournament. Wylie senior Swade Sipe, our Big Country Preps Player of the Week, did exactly that in last week’s Granbury tournament, helping the Bulldogs to a 2-2 mark in the challenging event.
Sipe’s weekend began with a 22-point effort in a 54-48 win over Saginaw. It continued with 12 points in a 56-50 loss to Prosper Rock Hill, 20 points in a 59-51 win over Midland Christian and a 33-point night in a 46-43 loss to Arlington Lamar.
FEATURE: Undefeated Gordon Lady Longhorns making waves, headlines with historic start to season
Photos courtesy of Matt Garnett
On Nov. 18, coach Matt Garnett and his Gordon High School girls basketball squad did the unthinkable: They — and not the principals of the 12-0 and two-time defending state champion football team — became the talk of the town.
With a stunning 49-42 overtime victory over Plano West, the Lady Longhorns instantly became the stuff of legends.
The win was the fifth of eight straight to open the season. It resulted because Gordon doubled up on the Lady Wolves 14-7 in the extra period. It represented the climax of a 230-mile round trip in a GISD school bus.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Brock junior takes the top spot
Big-time performances are the norm this year for the 13-0 Brock Eagles, who earned a trip to the Region I-4A DII championship game with last week’s 66-3 win over Seminole.
At the forefront of that: This week’s Big Country Preps Player of the Week, junior running back Bryer McDonald.
And with good reason.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Graham senior Jace Gill takes this week’s accolade
Not only is our Big Country Preps Player of the Week holding down the top spot with big numbers, but his performance in Graham’s 35-28 area round win over Lubbock Cooper Liberty was a virtual seminar on poise.
Helping the Steers (9-3) to overcome three separate deficits, senior QB/kicker/punter Jace Gill was 15 of 28 for 239 yards and three TDs. He also rushed 12 times for 118 yards and another score.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Abilene High’s Henry takes award after record-setting performance
You have to love a great all-around performance and in the case of Brayden Henry, our Big Country Preps Player of the Week, his effort in last week’s 84-25 bi-district win over El Paso Bel Air was a record-setter.
Aside from going 6 of 7 through the air or 56 yards and one TD, he also rushed five times for 137 yards and three more scores.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Wylie RB Laine takes honor with monster game in high school finale
Coming off a breakout junior season that ended prematurely due to a torn ACL late in district play, Wylie running back Julius wasn’t having the type of senior season he had hoped to going into Friday’s Senior Night game against Plainview.
Running behind a young and often banged-up offensive line, Laine entered that matchup with 668 yards on 135 carries on the year, including a combined 139 yards on the ground in three consecutive losses leading up to the Plainview game.
On Friday, though, the 6-foot-2, 235-pound bruiser finally broke loose and found some open field — a lot of open field — in closing out his high school career with a memorable night worthy of our Big Country Preps Player of the Week honor. By the game’s end, Laine had run for a career-high 300 yards and five touchdowns, including scoring runs of 35, 39 and 49 yards, to lead the Bulldogs to a wild 70-52 victory.
Big Country Preps Girls Basketball Position Rankings: Posts
After focusing on the top guards and forwards the Big Country has to offer the past two nights, it’s time to shift our attention to the paint.
For the final installment in our three-part position rankings series, we list our top-10 post players for the 2025-26 season with some others to watch.
We hope you’ve enjoyed reading through these rankings, and make sure to come back next week when we’ll feature the top boys basketball players in the Big Country.
Big Country Preps Girls Basketball Position Rankings: Forwards
After kicking off our girls basketball position rankings series with the guards on Tuesday, we now turn our attention to the forwards.
For the second installment in our three-part series, we rank the area’s top 10 players at that position with some others to watch for in 2025-26.
We hope you enjoy our list.
Continue reading “Big Country Preps Girls Basketball Position Rankings: Forwards”
Big Country Preps Girls Basketball Position Rankings: Guards
With the girls basketball season getting underway this week, it’s time to take a look at the local and area players who will be making the biggest impact for their teams over the next few months.
For the first installment in a three-part series that will cover all positions, we’ll be focusing on the Big Country’s top guards, ranking our top 10 with a list of others to watch for the 2025-26 season.
We hope you enjoy reading through our selections.
PHOTO GALLERY: FCA Big Country girls basketball all-star game (30 images)
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Continue reading “PHOTO GALLERY: FCA Big Country girls basketball all-star game (30 images)”
GAME STORY: FCA basketball doubleheader ends with an OT bang
ABILENE — While some may say that it’s difficult to create intrigue with an all-star game, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes managed to do so in the nightcap of Friday’s FCA doubleheader at Abilene Christian University’s Moody Coliseum.
Following Game 1 which saw the girls Blue Team defeat their Red Team counterparts 48-36, the boys took the floor for a topsy-turvy overtime battle that saw the Blue Team rally for 68-61 win.
At the final horn, the Blue Team cheerleaders and supporters stormed the floor in celebration, bringing an end to a raucous evening of basketball.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Wall’s Jones takes the award with spectacular effort at area meet
The best way to describe the area meet performance of our Big Country Preps Player of the Week (Wall’s Briggs Jones) is to simply let his coach, Craig Slaughter do the talking.
“He ran a blistering 10.41 to set a school record and win the 100 meters,” Slaughter said. “He broke his long jump record with a jump of 23-11.5. I only let him jump twice because he was running out of room in the pit and I need that dude cranked up this week.
“Then he destroyed his triple jump record with a jump of 48-7.25
Evan Ren’s 2025 Gym Rat Team: The hardest-working players in the Big Country!
While scoring and rebounding garner much of the attention in basketball, there are other elements, crucial to success that seldom grab headlines.
Behind the scenes is where character, effort and sacrifice set the foundation for teams to reach their full potential. And it is with our Big Country Preps Gym Rat Team that we salute the individuals who bring these elements to the table.
This team isn’t about who the best players are — though some of the area’s top players are on this list.
The Gym Rat Team is about outworking, outhustling and outgiving everyone around you, both on the floor and off. Hard-working, honest, selfless, tough, coachable kids are what we seek for this roster.
A Gym Rat Team member can be your best player or the last player off the bench. But the one thing all of them bring is an uncompromisingly good attitude.
It is for that reason that our Gym Rat Team is selected entirely by area coaches. And Big Country Preps is truly honored to present these individuals to you — the best “team players” (boys and girls) that the area had to offer during the 2024-25 season.
Players are listed in no particular order.
Enjoy.
2025 All-Big Country Preps Girls Basketball Team: First-Team Roster
Here are our first-team selections for the 2025 All-Big Country Preps girls basketball team. For the rest of this year’s boys and girls basketball selections, click the links below.
- Girls First Team
- Girls Second Team
- Girls Third Team (w/ honorable mention)
- Girls Rising Stars Team (area’s top underclassmen)
- Girls Superlative Award Winners
- Boys Superlative Award Winners
- Boys First Team
- Boys Second Team
- Boys Third Team (w/ honorable mention)
- Boys Rising Stars Team (area’s top underclassmen)
- Gym Rat Team: The toughest, hardest-working teammates in the Big Country! (Monday)
2025 All-Big Country Preps Girls Basketball Team: Second-Team Roster
Here are our second-team selections for the 2025 All-Big Country Preps girls basketball team. For the rest of this year’s boys and girls basketball selections, click the links below.
- Girls First Team
- Girls Second Team
- Girls Third Team (w/ honorable mention)
- Girls Rising Stars Team (area’s top underclassmen)
- Girls Superlative Award Winners
- Boys Superlative Award Winners
- Boys First Team
- Boys Second Team
- Boys Third Team (w/ honorable mention)
- Boys Rising Stars Team (area’s top underclassmen)
- Gym Rat Team: The toughest, hardest-working teammates in the Big Country! (Monday)
2025 All-Big Country Preps Girls Basketball Team: Third-Team Roster (w/ honorable mention)
Here are our third-team selections for the 2025 All-Big Country Preps girls basketball team. For the rest of this year’s boys and girls basketball selections, click the links below.
- Girls First Team
- Girls Second Team
- Girls Third Team (w/ honorable mention)
- Girls Rising Stars Team (area’s top underclassmen)
- Girls Superlative Award Winners
- Boys Superlative Award Winners
- Boys First Team
- Boys Second Team
- Boys Third Team (w/ honorable mention)
- Boys Rising Stars Team (area’s top underclassmen)
- Gym Rat Team: The toughest, hardest-working teammates in the Big Country! (Monday)
2025 All-Big Country Preps Girls Basketball Rising Stars Team
Here is our 2025 All-Big Country Preps Girl’s Basketball Rising Stars team, comprised of the top freshmen and sophomores in the area. For the rest of this year’s boys and girls basketball selections, click the links below.
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- Girls First Team
- Girls Second Team
- Girls Third Team (w/ honorable mention)
- Girls Rising Stars Team (area’s top underclassmen)
- Girls Superlative Award Winners
- Boys Superlative Award Winners
- Boys First Team
- Boys Second Team
- Boys Third Team (w/ honorable mention)
- Boys Rising Stars Team (area’s top underclassmen)
- Gym Rat Team: The toughest, hardest-working teammates in the Big Country! (Monday)
BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Stephenville’s Gentry lands the top spot
While Stephenville’s Tristian Gentry is no stranger to this column, it’s usually via football that he lands in our Top 10 — especially after missing track last year due to injury.
Well, it’s track season again and it just so happens that the SHS senior is healthy this time around — returning as one of the area’s top guns in that sport. He’s already off to a great start, having captured four gold medals at a talent-loaded Brock meet last week.
Aside from first place leaps in the long jump (21-1) and triple jump (43-2), he also helped SHS’ 400 and 800 relay teams take gold with splits of 43.26 and 1:30.1, respectively.
CLASS 3A DI GIRLS STATE CHAMPIONSHIP: Fairfield tops Jim Ned in overtime thriller
SAN ANTONIO — Through the first two quarters of Friday’s Class 3A Division I state championship game, the Jim Ned Lady Indians handled the basketball flawlessly against Fairfield, committing no turnovers before the break.
That number jumped with the outset of the second half, however, and helped the Lady Eagles (33-6) to a come-from-behind 50-44 win in overtime at the Alamodome.
Blayke Brackens had 17 points and six rebounds, while Jaci Abram and Jacelynn Schmidt added 12 points each to lift Fairfield (33-6), which took its third state title with the win. Brackens, who hit a game-tying shot at the buzzer to send the game into overtime, was named as the game’s MVP.
GAME REPORT: Live Oak tops Abilene Christian 47-38 in title game to end Lady Panthers’ dream run
ROBINSON — The Abilene Christian girls basketball team saw its unlikely run to the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools Class 3A state championship game end with a hard-fought loss to top-ranked Waco Live Oak Classical, falling 47-38 in the title tilt at Waco Robinson High School.
A slow start put the Lady Panthers in an early hole they could never climb out of, but the game remained competitive into the final final period.
ACS, which defeated No. 3 McKinney Cornerstone Christian (35-32), No. 5 Fort Worth Covenant Classical (34-30 in overtime) and No. 2 Fellowship Academy of Kennedale (38-31) on its way to the title game, trailed just 40-34 heading into the fourth quarter, but coach Laura Lange’s squad could never quite get over the hump in closing its season at 17-16.
CLASS 2A DI STATE CHAMPIONSHIP: Late Nocona run secures title win over San Saba
SAN ANTONIO — It took the San Saba Lady Dillos the better part of three quarters to finally find the range in Thursday’s Class 2A Division I state title game with Nocona. And when they did, they captured the momentum and cut an 18-point deficit to six by the 6:30 mark of the fourth quarter.
Then it happened.
Almost as if someone had flicked a switch, Nocona recaptured the initiative with seven unanswered points and suddenly a six-point lead turned to 13 in under a minute, eventually leading to a 54-37 win for NHS in the Alamodome.
CLASS 1A DI GIRLS STATE CHAMPIONSHIP: Eula falls to Broaddus 56-39
SAN ANTONIO — After battling their way through five playoff games, including tough matchups with Westbrook, Garden City, Hermleigh and Borden County, the Eula girls were mentally ready for Thursday’s Class 1A Division I state title game against Broaddus.
Unfortunately for the Lady Pirates, they had no answer for a Broaddus team that featured four 6-footers, a 6-2 post and more overall length than virtually any 1A team in the state.
Eula fell 56-39 in the Alamodome, after struggling to get open looks or compete on the glass from start to finish.
GAME REPORT: Abilene Christian girls keep Cinderella run alive with 38-31 win over Fellowship Academy
WACO — The Abilene Christian girls basketball team continued its improbable playoff run Wednesday, securing its third consecutive upset to earn a spot in the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools Class 3A state championship game.
Coming off hard-fought victories over No. 3 McKinney Cornerstone Christian (35-32) and No. 5 Fort Worth Covenant Classical (34-30 in overtime), the Lady Panthers downed second-ranked Fellowship Academy of Kennedale 38-31 on Wednesday at Waco University High School to earn a title game matchup with No. 1 Waco Live Oak Classical (24-6) at 6 p.m. Thursday at Waco Robinson High School.
Coach Laura Lange’s ACS squad outscored the Lady Mustangs in every quarter but one, getting out to a quick start and maintaining that momentum the rest of the way to extend its dream season.
STATE SEMIFINAL ROUNDUP: Cooley’s free throws lift Jim Ned over Winnsboro; Martin’s Mill too strong for Goldthwaite
CHINA SPRING — Gracee Cooley drained a pair of free throws with 0.3 seconds remaining Tuesday to fuel the Jim Ned girls to a thrilling 40-38 win over Winnsboro in the Class 3A Division I state semifinals and help the Lady Indians to their first state championship game since defeating Poth for the Class 2A title in 2008.
Jim Ned, making its fourth state tournament appearance in program history and first since 2012, advanced to take on Fairfield (32-6) for the championship at 1 p.m. Friday at the Alamodome in San Antonio.