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THE FINAL SECONDS: UIL GBB State Tournament talent big as Texas
It's all come down to this.
Months of training and adulation have finally lead the best of the best to this point -- the UIL State Championship.
With elite programs, such as Summer Creek, Duncanville, Liberty, and Randle -- not to mention their fan-bases in tow -- heading to San Antonio, it's time to break down the key matchups of the girls basketball State Tournament.
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Summer Creek Bulldogs vs. Duncanville Panthers
The stars of 2023-24 Summer Creek Girls Basketball
Bradley C. Collier (VYPE)
After being eliminated by Pearland (39-26) in the 2023 Regional Final, Summer Creek proceeded to make a statement by escalating to the Class 6A Final Four, under the direction of first-year head coach Donny Ott.
This marks the team's third appearance in the UIL State Tourney over the past five seasons, which is a testament to the talent they bring onto the court.
Now, the Bulldogs (35-3; 13-1 in district) have the opportunity to surpass their 2022 result of finishing as a State Qualifier, when they face Duncanville (33-4; 13-1 in district) this Friday, at 7:00 pm, in the San Antonio Alamodome.
Ott will turn to his vast arsenal of weapons -- namely Janiya Murphy, Kennedy Simpson, Zachara Perkins, and Mariyah Brown -- in order to keep their current 18-game win-streak alive.
On the Panthers' side, coach Neiman Ford and company are coming off crucial victories against Cy Springs (48-40) and DeSoto (46-39) in the Region-II Tournament.
D'Ville flexes the talents of Mariah Clayton (14 ppg, 6 rpg), Chloe Mann (13 ppg, 4 apg), and Kaylinn Kemp (12 ppg, 2 apg).
These two teams have already met each other at a tournament exhibition in November, in which Summer Creek claimed a 63-53 victory.
Rest assured, this could be the most pivotal match-up of the whole tournament.
Randle Lions vs. Liberty Redhawks
The stars of 2023-24 Randle Girls Basketaball
Jamey Wright (VYPE)
What a year it has been for Randle girls hoops.
In just their third season as a varsity program in the Lamar Consolidated ISD, the Lions (30-8; 13-1 in district) took District 20-5A by storm, prior to cruising all the way to San Antonio.
Coach Christy Westbrooks and co. defeated both Hendrickson (59-55) and Barbers Hill (38-34) at the Region-III tournament, which extends their win-streak to 21.
The talents of Alaysia Cook (14 ppg, 6 rpg, 4 apg), Jaziel King (11 ppg, 2 apg), and Kurynn McNeill (10 ppg, 6 rpg) have propelled Randle to new heights, as they look to continue re-writing the history books.
It's the fact that the Lions know how to win the close games that is essential, as that will likely be the case when they face-off against the reigning Class 5A champs Liberty.
The Frisco Liberty Redhawks (32-7; 14-0 in district) enter the UIL State Tournament yet again, on the heels of winning versus McKinney North (69-52) and Princeton (52-26) in Region-II.
Sophomore super-star Jacy Abii has been a key component to coach Ross Reedy's group, alongside the reigning 5A MVP Keyera Roseby, and junior Aziyah Farrier.
Whichever way this game ends up going, it could be a safe assumption that the victor will likely end up claiming the State crown.
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WHO LET THE ’DAWGS IN!? Summer Creek punches ticket to state for 2nd time in 4 years
KATY—“It’s the Creek, baby.”
In four words, senior Kaitlyn Duhon essentially summed up the excellence of Summer Creek girls basketball, as the Bulldogs are quickly becoming the face of Houston area girls hoops.
No. 2 state-ranked Summer Creek took down Pearland, 59-42, on Saturday afternoon at the Merrell Center in the Region III-6A final. The Bulldogs won their 20th straight game, and, in doing so, booked their second trip to the state tournament in the last four years.
“It was real from beginning to end,” said Duhon, an Auburn signee who had a game-high 20 points to go with nine rebounds. “Pearland wasn’t letting up, and neither were we. We just wanted it more. I wasn’t going to go home. We weren’t going home. We handled business.
“I’m so proud of us. I’m so excited.”
VYPE: Road to the Dome\n\nSummer Creek is heading to San Antonio for the 2nd time in 4 seasons. Check out the highlights! #UILState @HumbleISD_SCHS @HumbleISD @SC_CoachD @kkaitlynjanay @JorynnR @HumbleISD_Ath @imjustmiamia @KPRC2RandyMc @anahlynnn @BrentMac68 @TXHSGBB @HTownHSpic.twitter.com/co0i0SWevJ— VYPE Houston (@VYPE Houston) 1645912813
Pearland (28-10) scored the first six points. The game got off to a sloppy start with the teams combining for 14 turnovers, to 16 total points, in the first quarter.
Neither team got much breathing room until Duhon’s clutch three-point play with one second left in the third quarter awarded Summer Creek a five-point advantage going into the final period.
“At that moment, it gave us momentum,” coach Carlesa Dixon said. “She always comes up big when we need her. We go as she goes. She’s our captain.”
That opened the floodgates for Summer Creek, which got out to an 8-2 run to start the fourth. The Bulldogs, who hit three of their five 3s in the fourth quarter, outscored the Oilers 22-10 in the final period.
“I don’t think we’ve started a game down 6-0 all season,” Dixon said. “For them to stay calm and not get rattled, that was our whole focus. Play basketball, do what we do, and see what the outcome is.”
.@sc_ladyhoops coach @SC_CoachD talks about being Region III-6A champs and more. #txhshoops @HumbleISD_SCHS @HumbleISD_Ath @HumbleISD @SC_CoachDpic.twitter.com/zAz3EXoQnN— VYPE Houston (@VYPE Houston) 1645909715
Aside from Duhon, Summer Creek was buoyed by a pair of precocious sophomores at timely moments of the game. Janiya Murphy made big play after big play, finishing with 10 points and five rebounds. Torran Deterville was clutch in the fourth, scoring eight of her 10 points in the period, including back-to-back triples to push the lead into double figures.
“It gives me hope for the future,” Dixon said. “The fact they weren’t afraid of the moment. For them not understanding what this moment is, it’s good. They’re young, but we have a lot of confidence in them.”
Pearland, which stayed admirably close most of the game with its physicality, size, and aggressiveness, eventually ran out of gas. Junior RyLee Grays scored 19 points. Senior Aryelle Stevens had 13 points and 12 rebounds.
Pearland slowed the game and sought out contact, getting to the free-throw line 30 times to Summer Creek’s 17. But Pearland only made 15 free throws, and never had enough offensive consistency whenever it wasn’t drawing fouls.
The Oilers, in the regional final for the first time since 1991, were simply outmatched. Summer Creek had more talent and depth. The Bulldogs’ defense was relentless, forcing 22 turnovers after forcing 20 in their regional semifinal win Friday.
“That’s our bread and butter,” Dixon said. “We struggled to score in the offensive sets, and we know when we have trouble scoring, turn the defense up. Turn defense into offense. That’s our thing.”
Three Bulldogs (Duhon, Murphy, Deterville) scored in double figures, with senior Anahlynn Murray adding seven points and junior Jorynn Ross finishing with six.
.@sc_ladyhoops: Region III-6A champs. 38-2. Twenty straight wins. Second state appearance in four years. #txhshoops @HumbleISD_SCHS @SC_CoachD @UIL_ADpic.twitter.com/gidf0qnHES— Dennis Silva II (@Dennis Silva II) 1645908466
“I’m just thankful and proud,” Dixon said. “People don’t understand how hard those girls work. I run those girls into the ground preseason, during the season, and they never complained. They knew what it takes. Most of them were freshmen, eighth graders, the last time we did this before (in 2019), and they’ve wanted it since that moment. They came to San Antonio when we went. They said it from day one when they got on campus, that’s what they wanted. To see them get a chance to do it, it’s special.”
Duhon said it’s a credit to Dixon and a group of players that is coachable and plays well together. It starts with Duhon and Ross, a transfer last summer who had 20 points and nine rebounds to lead Friday’s regional semifinal win over Dulles.
Dixon said Ross had to learn to accept that she was no longer the No. 1 option on a team. She did. Duhon had to learn to share the ball and acclimate Ross as another premier playmaker. She did.
“It’s been amazing,” Duhon said. “We’ve won a lot of different ways. We’ve played different teams. We’ve played different atmospheres. We’re always locked in. We have energy. We have people coming off the bench giving the same energy the starters are giving.”
.@sc_ladyhoops senior @AuburnWBB signee Kaitlyn Duhon talks about being Region III-6A champs, the culture of success at Summer Creek, Coach Carlesa Dixon, and more. #txhshoops @HumbleISD_SCHS @HumbleISD_Ath @HumbleISD @SC_CoachDpic.twitter.com/7ckEpgDcQa— VYPE Houston (@VYPE Houston) 1645909442
Dixon said the team will celebrate this weekend. Come Monday, however, it’s back to basics.
“Enjoy this moment, because not everybody gets to have this moment. But remain hungry and stay humble,” Dixon said. “It’s not over.”