UIL State Roundup: Mansfield Summit stuns Nimitz, 52-43, in 5A final
AUSTIN - Starr Crawford scored 14 points and Mansfield Summit stunned heavily favored Aldine Nimitz and dunking sensation Brittney Griner with a 52-43 win Saturday night in the girls' Class 5A state championship.
The 6-foot-8 Griner, whose dunks have made her a YouTube sensation, scored 22 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and blocked nine shots, but Nimitz (37-2) was plagued by 24 turnovers against Summit's trapping defense that seldom let her touch the ball.
Amy Moody added 11 points for Summit (34-4).
Griner, a senior All-American who has signed with Baylor, scored 44 points in the semifinals and became the first player to dunk in the history of the state tournament, but she didn't get another one in the final.
She walked with a swagger onto the court for warmups before the final and immediately started putting on a dunk show for the crowd.
Just like the night before, Griner showed off a variety of two-handed jams and others where she extended as far as she could, always hanging on the rim for that extra second to get a rise out of the crowd, where hundreds were trying to take pictures of her.
And as usual, the crowd booed when the game officials came onto the court and whistled for the fun to stop.
If Summit was intimidated, it didn't show.
Once the game started, Summit tried to use 6-2 Loren McDaniel and the 6-foot Crawford to push her off the block. It didn't work, at least not right away.
Griner's first touch on offense was an easy layup off a soft lob pass from Jessica Diamond. She went back up the court and swatted a shot by Moody. Next came a nifty up-and-under move in the post against a defender 8 inches shorter than her, then it was a backdoor pass to Chrishauna Parker for an easy assist on a layup and a 9-2 Nimitz lead.
And that was about it for Griner in the first half.
Summit roared back with eight straight points when Nimitz started getting sloppy - 14 turnovers in the first half - and took the lead on Taylor Hooker's steal and layup. Summit quickly found that its halfcourt trap could frustrate Nimitz guards and keep the ball out of Griner's hands.
When Griner touched the ball, she scored, going 4-of-4 in the half but was otherwise watching her teammates kick the ball around as Summit took a 15-14 lead into the third quarter.
Summit kept to the gameplan in the third, forcing four turnovers before Griner touched the ball or Nimitz even took a shot. When Crawford banked in a 3-pointer at the buzzer, Summit led 31-24 going into the fourth.
Summit pushed the lead to 11 when McDaniel scored twice against Griner, somehow getting the shot over her outstretched arms. Nimitz was then whistled for a technical foul for having six players on the court, and Moody made four free throws to all but put the game away.
In the final seconds, a Nimitz cheerleader did a series of backflips during a timeout, only to fall down right in front of the Nimitz bench.
Hewitt Midway beats Mansfield Timberview, 50-27
AUSTIN - Hewitt Midway had the star power in the lineup and the famous mom/coach in the stands. It all added up to one dominating state championship performance.
Cokie Reed scored 17 points and Midway held Mansfield Timberview to just two points in the third quarter, rolling to the Class 4A championship with a 50-27 victory Saturday.
Reed, a high school All-American who has signed with Texas, also grabbed 11 rebounds. Defensively, Midway (35-4) held Timberview to 18 percent shooting and forced 26 turnovers.
Midway junior guard Makenzie Robertson is the daughter of Baylor women's coach Kim Mulkey. She finished with eight points and seven rebounds with her mom loudly cheering her just two hours before her team was to play Texas A&M 100 miles away in Waco.
TCU signee Delisa Gross added eight points and six rebounds, three blocks and three steals.
Chenale Smith had six points and 12 rebounds for Timberview (35-4). The school made it to the state final just five years after it opened.
It took only a few minutes for Reed and Co. to flex some muscle. Reed displayed a lighting-quick spin and layup against a much smaller defender and Gross hit a 3-pointer early in the first quarter.
Not to be outdone - at least not yet - Timberview's Chanice Smith hit a 3-pointer from deep in the right corner. A 3-pointer by Krissica Harper and a steal and fast-break layup by Toi Gober put Midway up 14-9 going into the second.
Midway started the second with a 9-0 run with two baskets by Gober - one on a nifty backdoor pass from Reed - and a long jumper by Gross. Reed had to go to the bench with her second foul with 3:36 left and stayed there until halftime. But even with Reed out, Timberview's lousy shooting kept them from closing the gap.
Timberview was just 6-of-32 shooting in the first two quarters and it didn't get any better in the third, when the Wolves didn't score until a last-second layup at the end of the quarter.
About 10 rows behind the Midway bench was the always-emotional Mulkey, dressed in a light purple jacket, pumping her arms and cheering the team on. She'll be coaching against Reed next season.
Midway just kept stretching the lead with every possession. Robertson opened the third with both her 3-pointers, causing her mom to jump out of her seat, and Reed spun her big body for another powerful layup.
Midway led 42-17 to start the fourth.
Robinson beats Argyle for 3A title, 49-33
AUSTIN - With a big start and a big player in the middle, Robinson cut an easy path to the Class 3A state championship.
Rachel Hargis scored 20 points and grabbed 13 rebounds as Robinson beat Argyle, 49-33, in the 3A final Saturday.
Robinson held Argyle to three first-half field goals, and Hargis dominated under the basket at both ends. The 6-foot-4 junior center intimidated Argyle shooters in the paint and gobbled up the rebounds when they misfired from long range.
Mackenzie Roach added 13 points as Robinson (34-5) won its second title. The other came in 1970.
Claire Pettibon scored 17 to lead Argyle (20-15).
Argyle came in with the most losses in the state tournament and the team motto was "It's not how you start, it's how you finish." But the Lady Eagles' strong run through the postseason crashed hard with the poor start that doomed their title chances. By the time the shots started falling late in the second, it was too late.
Staying way outside to avoid Hargis, three of Argyle's first five shots were airballs. Roach, meanwhile, made two 3-pointers, then a short jumper to send Robinson into the second quarter leading 14-3.
Argyle was clearly intimidated by Hargis and her long arms. She scored the first four points of the game and blocked Argyle's first shot inside the 3-point line.
Roach opened the second with another a 3-pointer, and Hargis made it 21-3 with a layup. Argyle went scoreless for six minutes before Jessica Bonfield made two free throws with 4:46 left in the half.
Argyle's shooters seemed to finally wake up in the third.
Pettibon swished a 3-pointer 10 seconds in, then another that cut Robinson's lead to 32-21. But Hargis still controlled the paint defensively, leaving Argyle few other scoring options. Ashley James hit a 3-pointer, followed by a short jumper, then dumped a lob pass into Hargis for an easy layup that put Robinson up 39-21. James finished with six assists
Robinson led 43-23 before an 8-0 run by Argyle closed the gap to 12. Hargis took over again with four straight points, and Argyle never threatened to make it close.
Brock beats Woodville for 2A title, 61-32
AUSTIN - Kenisha Harris scored 27 points and grabbed 10 rebounds as Brock won its fourth state title since 2002 by beating Woodville, 61-32, in the Class 2A girls' final on Saturday
Brock (32-8), which didn't win a title in its first nine tournaments, has now won its last four trips to Austin. Freshman Kamy Cole, whose three older sisters won titles in 2002, 2003 and 2005, added a family fourth. She was the only other Brock player in double figures with 13 points.
Meisha McNeal had nine points and 11 rebounds for Woodville (32-5).
Harris got her team to the state tournament with two free throws in the final 18 seconds to beat Winnsboro in the regional finals. She settled the state final much earlier than that with 13-of-17 shooting and moves in the post that overpowered Woodville defenders near the basket.
Neither team got much going early against pressure defense on both ends. Brock held Woodville to just two baskets in the first quarter and a 3-pointer by Dana Jones helped send the Lady Eagles into the second leading 9-4.
Brock led 16-9 when Harris went on a tear, scoring eight of the Lady Eagles next 10 points. Dashing up court on a fast break, Harris snared the rebound off a miss by Linsey Hays for an easy layup with 30 seconds left and a 26-12 halftime lead.
Harris took complete control of the game in the third as Brock ran the same unstoppable play time and time again. A Brock guard would dribble to one corner at the top of the lane and lob a pass back across to Harris under the basket. A headfake or quick pump fake to get the defender off her feet and Harris was up with a strong move for an easy layup. Harris scored six straight points to push the lead to 32-13.
Kamy Cole finally added some variety with a two short jumpers and Hays swished a 3-pointer from the left corner.
Brock built the lead as high as 55-26 in the fourth before replacing all its starters.
Sudan wins 1A Division I title
AUSTIN - Sudan's Lacee Logan jumped on her sister's back for a victory ride. A year after barely being able to run, she was being carried off the court as a state champion.
Logan led the Nettes to the Class 1A Division I title on Saturday, scoring 16 points as Sudan rolled over Roscoe 71-38. That was after missing most of last season's state tournament with a knee injury before playing just the final 11 seconds of Sudan's loss in last season's championship final.
Saturday, when the buzzer sealed Sudan's finals win, Logan jumped on sister and teammate Danielle to celebrate.
Desiree King added 18 points for Sudan (33-5), whose 33-point victory set a record for 1A Division I title games. Class 1A was split into two divisions in 2001.
Logan was a key player from the start as she and King each scored 12 points in the first two quarters, carrying Sudan to a 36-21 halftime lead.
King opened the third with four straight points and a steal and layup by Brittany Williams quickly pushed the lead to 42-23, giving Roscoe no chance to rally.
Sudan forced 21 turnovers, turning them into 27 points and outrebounded Roscoe 40-29. Williams finished with 12 points, 12 rebounds, five assists and six steals. Sudan won its first state title since 1994 and fourth overall.
Amber Shumaker scored 12 points to lead Roscoe (31-6).
Baylor's Mulkey cheers daughter to Texas title
AUSTIN - Baylor coach Kim Mulkey won national championships as a player and coach, yet none felt quite as special as the latest family title won Saturday.
Two hours before her No. 5 Lady Bears were set to tip off against No. 10 Texas A&M, Mulkey was 100 miles south, watching, cheering and pumping her fists as her daughter Makenzie Robertson won a Texas Class 4A state championship with Hewitt Midway.
A junior guard, Robertson scored eight points and had seven rebounds in Midway's 50-27 victory over Mansfield Timberview, hitting consecutive 3-pointers in the third quarter. Hewitt is just outside Waco.
"I'm a proud momma, baby," Mulkey told The Associated Press while watching the postgame trophy ceremony. When it was over, she got a big hug from her daughter before it was time to jump in the car to get to her own game.
"This is a special moment for our family. Championships are hard to come by," Mulkey said.
Asked which felt better, hers or her daughter's, Mulkey didn't even pause to think. A child's championship tops it all.
"It's more special than mine because it's your children," she said with a smile.
Mulkey won the 2005 NCAA championship with Baylor and looked every bit as emotional on Saturday as she did four years ago.
Sitting about 10 rows behind the team bench, Mulkey whooped and hollered with Midway fans and chanted "Let's Go Midway!" during timeouts.
She rarely sat down, groaning when she thought the officials missed a foul, and leaping to her feet every time Midway scored a basket. When the third quarter ended with Midway leading 42-17, she jumped out of her chair, pumped both fists in the air and let out a loud yell.
"I'm just so happy for my kid. And I'm happy for these Midway kids. When I moved to Waco to take the Baylor job these kids were fourth and fifth graders and to watch them grow up together ... we're so proud of Makenzie," said Mulkey, who won two national titles as a player at Louisiana Tech in the 1980s.
