Texas: De Soto Ends Strake Jesuit's Run of Perfection

AUSTIN – Day two produced more stellar basketball at the University Interscholastic League (UIL) boys state tournament held at the Erwin Center on the University of Texas campus.

Nazareth, a team with a long history of state tournament competition, earned a berth in Saturday’s Class A Division II championship game.

But the big news came in Class 5A. The Lone State state’s only remaining undefeated team, Houston Strake Jesuit, failed in its quest for a title, losing to De Soto. In the evening’s final match-up, Cedar Hill notched a last-second victory over San Antonio Wagner.

Class 5A Semifinals: De Soto 48, Houston Strake Jesuit 44

De Soto hit a pair of timely 3-pointers and nailed clutch free throws to upset previously undefeated Houston Strake Jesuit 48-44 in the Class 5A semifinals.

The Eagles (32-8) trailed 44-38 with just over three minutes remaining, but Derico Dandridge nailed a three, cutting the deficit in half. At the 1:42 mark, Dandridge connected for another, tying the score at 44-44.

With DeSoto’s defense slamming the lid on Strake Jesuit (37-1), Darius Terrell put the game away with four straight free throws in the final 78 seconds.

Defense dominated throughout the contest as the Eagles shot only 40 percent from the floor, hitting just 17-of-43 attempts. The Crusaders, one of two private schools in the UIL, fared even worse, making just 33 percent of their shots with a 19-for-58 performance.

Dandridge and Alex Wilson finished as De Soto’s top scorers with 11 points each. Evan Washington contributed 10.

"They were 37-0. It doesn't matter if they were a public school or a private school," Washington told the Dallas Morning News. "We wanted to give them their first loss."

Strake Jesuit’s Tim Frazier topped the scoring list with 17 points.

5A Semifinals: Cedar Hill 61, San Antonio Wagner 58

Cedar Hill sank a 3-point basket as time expired to down San Antonio Wagner 61-58 in lower half of the Class 5A semifinal bracket.

Devante Hill’s driving layup tied the game 58-58 for Wagner (32-8) with 13 seconds remaining.

Cedar Hill (35-4) elected to inbound without calling timeout, and Anthony Wilson put the ball in Tanner Milson’s hands. Milson hit a 3-pointer from the left corner seconds before the buzzer sounded, thrusting the Longhorns into the championship contest.

"I just run somewhere and trust my guards to find me," Milson said. "Anthony [Wilson] found me when I was open. I gave up a layup at the end of the game to tie it up. I had to do something."

Hill’s 3-point basket provided the Thunderbirds their biggest lead of the game at 38-35 at the third quarter’s 2:22 mark. But the Longhorns responded with a 10-0 run that spanned the third and fourth quarters to move in front 45-38.

Shawn Glover keyed Cedar Hill’s offense with 21 points. Thomas Gipson scored 17, and Milson added 15.

Jordan Clarkson paced Wagner, a school in only its third year of varsity basketball competition, with 19 points.  Jordan Jones scored 12, and Andre Roberson contributed 10 points along with 17 rebounds.

Cedar Hill and De Soto, neighboring towns just south of Dallas, will vie for the 5A title on Saturday night.

Class 2A Semifinals: Ponder 77, Santa Rosa 54

Ponder bolted to a 17-2 first-quarter lead and coasted to a 77-54 win over Santa Rosa in the Class 2A semifinal opener.

The Lions (39-1) employed Scott Gregg’s height advantage to the max as the 6-5 center scored 20 points in the first half, helping Ponder to a 48-26 halftime advantage over the Warriors (30-7). Gregg finished the contest with 26 points.

“Normally, I get on a run if I make my first couple of baskets,” Gregg said to the Dallas Morning News.  “I thought we were going to play a pretty good game going in.  That was important to us to get by the first game.”

Ponder’s Dylan Ballard scored 14 points, and Isaiah Boxell added 10.  Dario Mendoza led the Santa Rosa offense with 17 points, while Aaron Ramirez contributed 13 and Mark Cordero 10.

Class 2A Semifinals: New Waverly 69, Shallowater 59

New Waverly opened the second quarter on a 12-3 run and held off Shallowater for a 69-59 victory in the second game of the 2A semifinals.

Trailing 11-10 at the end of the first quarter, Tyren Watts ignited the Bulldog (32-3) explosion with a fastbreak layup. Kyren Watts followed with a pair of buckets, and Joseph Carrington finished the scoring sprint with three straight baskets.

New Waverly held the lead the rest of way. Shallowater (27-6) reduced its deficit to two points at 30-28 with a 6-0 run early in the third quarter, but the Mustangs never got closer. The Bulldogs committed only four turnovers in the contest and forced Shallowater into 18.

"I knew it was low today, but I didn't realize that it was that low," Carrington told the Houston Chronicle. "We were focused on that though because we really wanted to get past this game."

The Bulldog attack featured balanced scoring with Carrington’s 20 points topping the list. X’zavious Harrison followed closely behind with 18, while SirHorace Saulsberry added 14 and Kyren Watts 11.

Jordan Scaff’s double-double of 19 points and 14 rebounds paced Shallowater. Andrew Morris chipped in 14, and Weston Odom added 11.

Ponder and New Waverly collide for the 2A title on Saturday afternoon.

Class A Division II Semifinals: Nazareth 63, Leggett 46

Nazareth finished with a fury and rode a 15-3 closing run to a 63-46 win over Leggett in the Class A Division II semifinals.

The Swifts (24-12) led by only five points at 48-43 midway through the fourth quarter following a layup from Leggett’s (28-7) Joe Johnson. Nazareth called timeout and the Swifts went on a scoring rampage, connecting for three baskets in less than minute. Clint Huseman, who had tallied only a single point previously, started the rally with a pair of buckets.

Sage Black and Nickly Rowland provided the bulk of Nazareth’s offense. Black recorded a double-double with 26 points and 11 rebounds, while Rowland poured in 20.

Nazareth has reached the state tournament 13 times and won championships in 1986, 2002, and 2003.

“I experienced (the state title game) as a freshman but I didn’t get to play,” Black told the Amarillo Globe-News.  “It feels way better this time.”

Johnson led the Pirate attack with 14 points.  Deon Wyatt scored 12, and Fernando Diosdado contributed 10.

Class Division II Semifinals: Elkhart Slocum 59, Lipan 47

Elkhart Slocum caught fire when it counted and rolled past Lipan 59-47 in the second Class A Division II semifinal.

Leading 47-45 with just over three minutes left to play, the Mustangs (28-8) closed the door on the Indians (28-9) with a 12-2 run.

Jared Lane, who paced Elkhart Slocum with 22 points, sank 7-of-8 free throws in the closing minutes to clinch the victory. Lane completed the game with a 9-of-10 performance at the charity stripe. Logan Foster added 13 points for the Mustangs, and Randall Thomason netted 10.

Lipan’s Seth Riddle headed the scoring list with 26 points.

Elkhart Slocum and Nazareth will tangle for the Class A Division II title on Saturday evening.