Texas: Houston Yates, Dallas Kimball Advance to 4A Finals

AUSTIN – The 2009 University Interscholastic League (UIL) boys state basketball tournament opened on Thursday, March 12 at the Erwin Center on the University of Texas campus.

Semifinal games in Classes 4A, 3A, and A-Division I took place on day one with Classes 5A, 2A, and A-Division II scheduled for Friday. Championships in all classifications will take place on Saturday, March 14.

Class 4A Semifinal: Houston Yates 76, Mansfield Timberview 51

Houston Yates manhandled Mansfield Timberview 76-51 in its semifinal contest and advanced to the Class 4A title game.

Ahead 38-26 at the half, the Lions (33-1) went on a third-quarter rampage, outscoring the Wolves (27-11) 27-2.  Timberview’s only goal of the period came on Amos Mundendi’s layup with five minutes remaining.

Yates high-pressure defense contributed to the rout as the Lions forced 36 Timberview turnovers and scored 37 points off the Wolves’ miscues.

"We didn't want them to have as many good looks as they did in the first quarter," Yates coach Greg Wise commented to the Houston Chronicle. "But we figured sooner or later with the game going up and down like it was that they would get tired and we'd be able to get some steals."

Four Yates player reached double digits as Brandon Peters and Darius Garner netted 12 points each, and Brandon Lee and Brandon Williams garnered 10 apiece.

J. J. Williams and Cedric Ivory paced Timberview with each scoring 11 points.

Class 4A Semifinal: Dallas Kimball 66, Austin LBJ 54

Dallas Kimball closed out the first half on a 15-5 run and went on to defeat Austin LBJ 66-54 in Thursday’s second 4A semifinal. 

The Knights (32-9) led 21-20 with just three minutes left in the second quarter when David Kates developed a hot hand. 

Kates, who finished the game with 24 points and 10 rebounds, scored 11 of Kimball’s 15 final points in the first half and put the Knights ahead 36-25 at halftime. Davion Crew also contributed 14 points to the Kimball victory.

Cameron Brown led LBJ’s (28-9) offense with 15 points.

Yates and Kimball engage for the 4A title on Saturday afternoon.

Class 3A: Lubbock Estacado 77, Sour Lake Hardin-Jefferson 73 OT

Lubbock Estacado fought back from a 12-point second-quarter deficit to defeat Sour Lake Hardin-Jefferson 77-73 in overtime in the Class 3A semifinals.

The Matadors (34-2) trailed 34-26 halftime but erupted for a 12-4 run to open the third period and tied the game 38-38. 

From that point, the lead jockeyed back-and-forth, and Estacado went in front 68-66 on Clarence Willard’s jumper with 21 seconds left to play. Hardin-Jefferson’s (37-7) Jarvis Benard hit a layup seven seconds later, tying the game for the seventh time. The Matadors missed two shots in the waning seconds, sending the contest into overtime.

Estacado then took command as Willard nailed two quick layups, and the Matadors never relinquished the lead.

Kevin Wagner, the son of Estacado head coach Tony Wagner, scored 27 points, and Willard totaled 13 points, including 11 of them in the fourth quarter and overtime. Jamar Johnson tallied a double-double for the Matadors with 11 points and 12 rebounds.

Benard topped all scorers with 31 points, while Trey Burrell contributed 18 and Jacoby Turner added 12 for the Tigers.

Class 3A Semifinal: Dallas Madison 68, Stafford 58

Dallas Madison scored 19 second-quarter points and allowed only four to hold off Stafford 68-58 in the bottom half of the Class 3A bracket. 

Tied 14-14 after the game’s first eight minutes, the Trojans (32-4) held the Spartans (30-6) scoreless until the second quarter’s 2:35 mark. 

Phillip Pete’s three-pointer closed the gap for Stafford to 58-51 with 1:23 remaining. But Madison connected on eight straight free throws to clinch the win. The Trojans finished the game with a 20 for 23 performance at the charity stripe.

Madison’s offense produced a balanced attack led by Dominique Smith’s 13 points. Nick Moore and Desmond Flentroy each added 11.

"What we wanted to do was play 32 minutes of basketball today and we came out and did that," Smith said to the Houston Chronicle. "We never let our lead go away and we kept on them until the very end of the game."

Stafford’s Maurice Wiltz paced all scorers with 22 points, while Pete contributed 18.

Estacado and Madison square off for the 3A championship on Saturday morning.

Class A Division I: Plains 43, San Antonio Stacey 41

Plains staged an impressive comeback to eliminate San Antonio Stacey 43-41 in the Class A Division I semifinals on Thursday morning.

The Eagles (26-6) took a 34-26 lead on a Justyn Lewis layup 32 seconds into the fourth quarter. But the Cowboys (32-1) exploded for a 17-7 run to close out the contest. 

A 10-0 outburst, including six points from Chris Gonzales, put Plains ahead at 36-34 with 4 ½ minutes left to play.  Stacey managed to the tie the game twice at 36-36 and 38-38, but the Eagles could never get back in front.

“If we were going to come back, I was going to have score,” Gonzales said to the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal.  “I wasn’t going to let it be our last game.” 

Tim Brock’s pair of free throws gave Plains a 43-38 lead with 33 second left to play. David Clark’s three-pointer narrowed the gap to two points with seven seconds remaining, but the Eagles never regrouped for a final shot.

Jaaron Bell’s double-double of 16 points and 13 rebounds keyed the Plains offense, while Gonzales added another 14, eight of them coming in fourth quarter. Clark paced Stacey with 15 points and 10 rebounds.

Class A Division I: Roscoe 64, Tenaha 50

Roscoe pulled away in the fourth quarter and dispatched Tenaha 64-50 in game two of the Class A Division I semifinals.

The Plowboys (27-4) trailed 18-17 after the first quarter but surged to a 32-26 halftime lead, closing out the final three minutes on a 9-2 run. Ahead 47-39 at the end of three periods, Roscoe outscored the Tigers (29-6) 17-11 the rest of the way.

Jared Villanueva blistered Tenaha for 28 points, while his brother Jacob and Trae Howard aided the cause with double-doubles. Jacob Villanueva recorded 16 points and 11 boards, and Howard tallied 10 points and 14 rebounds.

Marlon McClure topped the Tiger scoring with 24 points, and Jay Moore scored 11.

Plains and Roscoe will tangle for the Class A Division I title on Saturday morning.