Texas: De Soto Tops Cedar Hill For 5A Title

AUSTIN – The 2009 University Interscholastic League (UIL) boys state basketball tournament held at the Erwin Center on the University of Texas campus lived up to its billing.

Championship Saturday began with a pair of overtime contests as Dallas Madison and Roscoe came out on top in Class 3A and Class A Division I, respectively.

Houston Yates shattered a couple of records en route to the Class 4A title, and De Soto carried its momentum from Friday’s upset of Houston Strake Jesuit to the Class 5A crown.

Class 5A Championship: De Soto 59, Cedar Hill 47

De Soto broke open a tight contest and used a 12-0 fourth-quarter run to claim the Class 5A championship with a 59-47 win over Cedar Hill.

The Eagles (33-8) led by only three points at 40-37 when Thomas Gipson sank a free throw for the Longhorns (35-4) with 6:28 showing on the clock.

But De Soto surged forward with 12 straight points to take command at 52-37. Dominique Bennett led the charge with four points, Darius Terrell hit a crucial 3-pointer, and Alex Wilson nailed three clutch free throws.

Bennett, the game’s MVP, topped the scoring with 21 points, and Terrell added 11 to go along with 11 rebounds. The victory gave the Eagles their second state crown with the first coming in 2003.

"My team was looking for me. It was just my night," Bennett told the Dallas Morning News. "I was just feeling it. I appreciate my teammates for looking for me. We came out with a win; that's all that mattered."

Shawn Glover produced a double-double for Cedar Hill with 14 points and 12 rebounds, while Gipson scored 11.

Class 4A Championship: Houston Yates 94, Dallas Kimball 78

Houston Yates kept up the pressure and came away with a 94-78 victory over Dallas Kimball.

Although Kimball (31-10) led only once in the game at 2-0, the Knights stayed within striking distance until late in the third quarter. Davion Green connected for a 3-pointer with just under three minutes left in the period, cutting Yates’ margin to five points at 58-53.

But the Lions (34-1) answered with an 11-4 run to end the period and upped their lead to 69-57.

"During a timeout in the third quarter, we got to the huddle and coach Wise told us to keep the pace up because they were getting tired," Darius Gardner told the Houston Chronicle. "We came out, got focused on defense, got some steals and it led to some offense."

Yates placed four players in double figures with Joseph Young, the tournament MVP, on top with 29 points, including seven 3-pointers. Gardner scored 20, Brandon Peters added 18 and Marshall Lange finished with 12.

Four Knights also reached the double-digit plateau with Keenan Owoigebe’s 25 points pacing Kimball. David Kates contributed 19, Keldon Hampton tallied 15 and Green posted 12.

Two state tournament records fell in the contest. Yates’ 94 points broke the single-game scoring mark of 88 set in 1980 by Beaumont Hebert.

The 172 combined points was also the highest for a 4A title game. The previous record of 164 was set in 1990 when Dallas Lincoln defeated Boerne 87-77.

Class 3A Championship: Dallas Madison 68, Lubbock Estacado 66 OT

Dominque Smith nailed two free throws with six seconds remaining to bring Dallas Madison the Class 3A championship with a 68-66 overtime win against Lubbock Estacado.

Trailing 66-61, Estacado (34-3) narrowed the margin to two points on Jamar Johnson’s 3-pointer with 10 seconds left to play. Jamal Stewart fouled Smith at the :06 mark and the senior guard, who led all scorers with 19 points, sealed the Trojan (33-4) triumph with two clutch free throws.  Madison captured its second state championship and first since 1997.

The Matadors missed a chance to take a late lead in regulation. Tied 53-53 with six seconds remaining, Kevin Wagner rebounded Timothy Flentroy’s missed layup and drew a foul from James Higgins. But Wagner missed the front end of a 1-and-1, and Madison’s Nick Moore pulled down the rebound, sending the contest into overtime.

Flentroy added 17 Trojan points, while his cousin, Desmond Flentroy, contributed 15.

Clarence Willard headed Estacado’s scoring with 17 points, and Johnson and Wagner each poured in 16.

Class 2A Championship: Ponder 51, New Waverly 39

Ponder got a big lift from reserve David Robertson and relied on his eight fourth-quarter points to defeat New Waverly 51-39 for the Texas 2A crown.

The Lions (40-1) fell behind 32-30 when Kyren Watts canned a layup with 6 ½ minutes left to play. But Ponder responded with a 13-2 run over the next four minutes highlighted by Robertson’s pair of 3-pointers and two free throws, his only points of the game.

“I knew I wasn't shooting the ball all that well. I had to keep shooting since they weren't playing on me," Robertson said to the Dallas Morning News. "If I missed, hopefully one of my teammates would get the rebound and the put-back."

New Waverly (32-4) slimmed the margin to six points at 45-39 on X’zavious Harrison’s 3-point bucket with just over a minute to play. But the Lions connected on 4-of-6 free throws in the closing seconds to ice back-to-back state titles and their third overall.

Joel Garza topped Ponder’s scoring with 14 points, while Isaiah Boxwell contributed 13.

Kyren Watts paced New Waverly with 13 points, and SirHorace Saulsberry added 10.

Class A Division I Championship: Roscoe 52, Plains 48 OT

Roscoe rode Jared Villanueva’s hot hand to a 52-48 overtime victory over Plains for the Class A Division I title.

Jaaron Bell’s layup put the Cowboys (32-2) in front 46-45 with just over two minutes remaining in overtime.  But Villanueva, who scored nine overtime points, found Caden Smith streaking to the basket for the go-ahead score at the 1:24 mark.

Villanueva’s three-point play with less than a minute to go padded the Plowboy (28-4) lead to 50-46, and the senior guard sank 2 of 4 free throws in the closing seconds to clinch Roscoe’s first state title.

The Plowboys trailed 27-22 at the half but tied the game 29-29 on Smith’s 3-point play with 4:49 showing on the third quarter clock.

The lead jockeyed back-and-forth from that juncture with neither Roscoe nor Plains (32-2) able to pull in front by more than four points. Smith’s layup tied the contest 41-41 with a little over a minute left in regulation.

Smith topped the Plowboy offense with 17 points. Villanueva added 15, and twin brother, Jacob Villanueva, chipped in 14.

Tim Brock paced the Cowboys with 22 points, and Bell recorded a double-double with 11 points and 14 rebounds.

Class A Division II Championship: Elkhart Slocum 45, Nazareth 27

Elkhart Slocum jumped to a quick lead and coasted to a 45-27 win over Nazareth to capture the Class A Division II championship.

The Mustangs (29-8) led 11-5 after the first quarter then blew the Swifts (24-13) away with a 12-3 run to open the final period. Slocum’s offensive explosion extended its margin to 38-21 with just under three minutes left to play. The victory brought the Mustangs their first state basketball title in school history.

Jared Lane keyed the Mustang offense with 22 points, while Randall Thomason nailed 14.

Sage Black’s 10 points led Nazareth’s scoring.