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Argyle Aces Fredericksburg Test; Looks To Win 7th State Championship On Saturday
Next to dynasty's definition in the dictionary is a photo of the Argyle girls basketball program. That's because the Lady Eagles entered Friday's UIL 4A state semifinal against Fredericksburg as the five-time defending state champion. The Battlin' Billies gave them a great fight early, but a late second quarter push allowed Argyle to flip a four-point deficit to a three-point lead going into halftime and set the tone for the rest of their 49-38 victory.
"Today was a really good and tough game for us, but we were prepared," said VYPE Player of the Game Rhyle McKinney. "We didn't give up on it. And it just showed tonight that we can really get big stops on defense and that's just what we're going to have to do tomorrow."
McKinney, who led all players with 20 points and three blocks, helped her team warm up with six-point performances in the second and third quarters.
One hurdle that Argyle faced in the opening half was Fredericksburg's balanced attack that included five different scorers. Freshman Ella Hartmann was among them, scoring eight of her team-high 18 points before halftime. But, six-point first half performances by Brooklyn Carl and Shelby Henches helped the Lady Eagles fly past the competition. They finished with nine and eight points respectively.
Once Argyle had the lead, it didn't give it back. Along with its shooters heating up, its defense assisted in outscoring Fredericksburg 25-17 in the second half.
"We talked about it at halftime," said Argyle coach Chance Westmoreland. "The third quarter, we really needed to lock in on defense [and] make it hard for 'em. I thought the girls did a great job of that."
Argyle will celebrate their annual semifinal victory during Friday's dinner at Fuddruckers, but its players and coaches will start planning for Saturday's UIL 4A state championship and final season opponent Fairfield once they walk through the restaurant's doors.
"Every game's a new game," said McKinney. "Our coaching staff, we trust them 100 percent. They prepare us completely."
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Photo by VYPE Media's Thomas Bingham.
Kingwood Park Leans On Relay Teams In Latest State Championship Win
Dynasty accurately describes the Kingwood Park boys swimming and diving program. The Panthers had previous state crowns from the 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2015 seasons before they competed in the 2020 UIL 5A swimming and diving state championship meet at The University of Texas at Austin's Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center. They ultimately scored 215 points on Saturday to add another one in the 2020 season finale.
"They battled hard," Kingwood Park boys swim coach Greg McLain said of his team. "When you come up here, it's always tough."
Kingwood Park finished fifth at state in 2019, but learned from that year's champion.
"We knew we were going to be strong," McLain said of this year's relay teams leading the program charge. "We watched what Georgetown did last year, watched how they won their championship and really tried to learn from what they did. We knew the relays were key [and] we really focused on the sprint events. 5A is getting so fast [and] all the teams are so strong now that you gotta do good in the relays."
The Panthers followed that formula from start to finish on Saturday. Senior Christian Ripp got things going when he teamed up with Tyler Scott, Carter Bennett and Logan Rushing in the first boys' final. The group earned a 1:35.57 time in the Boys 200-yard Medley Relay en route to a third-place event finish. Later on, he joined Brendan Flaherty, Frankie Zelasko and Braden Hunt for a Boys 200-yard Freestyle Relay win and a UIL 5A state record time of 1:24.08.
"It means the world to me," said Ripp. "This is my final time swimming. So, being able to win, go out with a gold medal [and] go out with a state championship, it's the best feeling in the world."
Christian Ripp helped Kingwood Park win the 2020 UIL 5A boys swimming state championship. Story to come on VYPE’s s… https://t.co/BtO2zAmBl4— VYPE Houston (@VYPE Houston) 1581797410.0
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