AUSTIN, Texas – Six teams earned championships at the University Interscholastic League (UIL) girls state basketball tournament on Saturday at the Erwin Center.
Some favorites dominated their title encounters, but the evening’s final contest provided an unexpected surprise.
Class 5A: Mansfield Summit 52, Houston Nimitz 43
Starr Crawford, Mansfield Summit
File Photo By Jim Redman
Mansfield Summit couldn’t completely stop Brittney Griner. But the Jaguars employed a tenacious defense and sank almost every free throw attempt to upset Houston Nimitz 52-43 for the Class 5A title.
Griner, who scored a record 44 points against Pflugerville in Friday’s semifinal, nailed 22 in the championship game and hauled in 12 rebounds. However, Summit’s defense forced 24 Nimitz turnovers. The Jaguars committed only 13.
"This is the first time all season that I really felt like all the pressure was on the other team," Mansfield Summit coach Tammy Lusinger told the Houston Chronicle. "So we were going to switch our defenses around and take our chances."
“We usually get the ball to her (Griner) a lot more, but they deflected several passes, kept bodies in front of the ball and moved their zones well," Nimitz coach Debbie Jackson said. "We never really recovered from that."
Offensively, the difference came at the charity stripe. Summit (34-4) connected on 17-of-21 free-throw attempts, and the Cougars (37-2) sank just 7-of-19.
Starr Crawford, the tournament’s 5A MVP, provided the bulk of the Summit offense with 12 points and battled tough on the boards, grabbing 10 rebounds. Amy Moody contributed 11 Jaguar points and performed perfectly on her free throws, hitting all eight attempts.
Like Griner, Chrishauna Parker earned a double-double for Nimitz with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Leading 15-14 at halftime, the Jaguars erupted for a 7-0 run to open the third quarter. Nimitz cut the margin to a single point at 25-24 with just over two minutes remaining in the period, but Summit closed out with a 6-0 spurt to forge ahead 31-24.
Summit’s roll continued into the final period with four straight points. The Jaguars extended their lead to double digits at 35-24 with 6:53 remaining.
Parker’s 3-pointer made it an eight-point game at 48-40 with just over a minute left to play. But Summit hit four consecutive free throws down the stretch to clinch the title.
Class 4A: Waco Midway 50, Mansfield Timberview 27
Waco Midway utilized runs of 14-0 and 16-0 to blow away Mansfield Timberview 50-27 for the Class 4A title.
Tied 9-9, the Panthers (35-4) blanked the Wolves (35-4) for almost seven minutes over the first and second quarters to move in front 23-9.
“We had some unfinished business from last year,” Midway coach Teri Morrison said to the Waco Tribune-Herald. “There were some things they wanted to do as far as reaching some goals. On the first day of practice we talked about what we needed to do as a team, and that was our focus all season.”
Ahead 26-15 at halftime, Midway kept Timberview off the scoreboard until 48 seconds remained in the third quarter and built an insurmountable 42-15 lead.
Cokie Reed scored 17 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for the Panthers. Chanice Smith paced Timberview with seven points.
Class 3A: Robinson 49, Argyle 33
The Rockets blasted off with a 20-3 run and completed their 3A championship journey with a 49-33 triumph over Argyle. Rachel Hargis combined for 20 points and 13 rebounds to give Robinson (34-5) its first state title since 1970.
“She (Hargis) was due because she hadn’t played to her potential in a while,” Rockets coach Brenda Gomez said. “She controlled the boards, she was able to score, and she made quite a few and-ones. She deserved to have a game that helped us to relax a little a bit.”
Mackenzie Roach, who finished the game with 13 points, ignited the Rockets’ initial outburst with 11 first-half points, connecting on a trio of 3-pointers. Boosted by Roach’s hot hand, Robinson bolted to a 30-15 halftime lead and never looked back.
Claire Pettibon provided over half of Argyle’s (20-15) offense with 17 points.
Gomez collected her first Texas championship trophy after winning five as the head coach at Portales, N.M.
Class 2A: Brock 61, Woodville 32
Brock barreled to a 26-12 halftime lead and wrapped up its fourth state title with a 61-32 victory over Woodville.
The Eagles (32-8) relied on 27 points from Kenisha Harris and 10 from Kamy Cole in cruising to the crown. Harris finished the day with a 13-of-17 performance from the field.
“I’ve stepped it up for them in the playoffs because we wanted to get to state," Harris said to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. "This is one of the better [games I’ve played]."
Meisha McNeil’s nine points topped Woodville’s (32-5) scoring.
Class A Division I: Sudan 71, Roscoe 38
Sudan captured its fourth state crown and first since 1994 with a 71-38 thumping of Roscoe.
Desiree King’s 18 points fueled the Nettes’ (35-5) offense, while Lacee Logan and Brittany Williams aided the cause with 16 and 12, respectively.
The Nettes, who lost 48-43 to Martin’s Mill in title contest last year, established their superiority over the Plowgirls (31-6) quickly, taking a 19-9 first-quarter lead and stretching it to 36-21 at halftime. Amber Shumaker led Roscoe with 12 points.
“I think the determination the kids had after losing this game last year paid off in a big way,” Sudan head coach Jason Cooper said to the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. “The intensity and effort they put into the summer and the preseason, it was incredible how hard these kids worked. We weren’t always the biggest team or the best team on the floor, but they always resolved to work had and today was a result of that.”
Sudan’s 33-point victory margin was the third largest in Class A championship history. The Nettes completed their season on a 19-game winning streak.
Class A Division II: Roby 44, Neches 34
Roby opened with a 16-0 run and carried the momentum to a 44-34 victory over Neches to capture the Class A Division II championship.
After a scoreless first quarter, the Lady Tigers (35-4) finally cracked the scoreboard with just under seven minutes remaining in the second quarter and closed their deficit to 23-17 at halftime.
But the Lions (34-3) roared back in the second half, outscoring Neches 21-17.
Roby’s Kendra Pack and Tara Schroedter scored 15 points each. Schoedter added 10 rebounds. Roddricka Patton paced the Neches offense with nine points.
