The Cooldown- Week 25
The Cooldown- Week 25
Congratulations to the Boswell, Denton Ryan, Decatur and Dallas Lincoln women on winning state championships! The road to state ended in San Antonio this weekend, and four DFW area teams brought home state championships. A big congratulations also goes out to the Cedar Hill women on a fantastic season. The Lady Longhorns fell short in the 6A D-I State Championship Game, falling to Humble Summer Creek, 52-49. As for the men, we’re now down to the final week of the season. Just the state semifinals and the state championships remain. Tuesday night will determine which of the remaining teams advance to San Antonio and which teams fall just short of a trip to state.
Boswell defeats Fort Bend Hightower in 6A D-II State Championship Game
Boswell earned its first state title in school history with a 51-42 win over Fort Bend Hightower. Boswell was highly ranked all season long and delivered with a dominant run through the 6A D-II playoffs, ending in a state title. The Lady Pioneers were led by Seleste Massey, who took home MVP honors from the 6A D-II state title game and finished with 16 points, six rebounds and four steals. Sydney Durrah led Boswell in scoring with 17 points. Camille Williams added 12 points, 10 rebounds and three assists, while Haleigh Jackson chipped in four points and Salena Carrasco contributed two points to round out the scoring for Boswell. Aside from a competitive first quarter in which Fort Bend Hightower outscored Boswell 10-9, the Lady Pioneers dominated this game. The largest lead grew to 15 points and the score was never close after a dominant second quarter gave Boswell a healthy halftime lead.
Denton Ryan beats San Antonio Wagner in 5A D-I State Championship Game
Another team that won its first state title in school history, Denton Ryan beat San Antonio Wagner 58-47 to win the 5A D-I State Championship Game. Unlike Boswell, which was ranked No. 2 in 6A going into the playoffs, Denton Ryan was unranked and faced arguably the toughest playoff road in the 5A D-I playoffs en route to a state title. The Lady Raiders defeated No. 4 Amarillo 62-57 in the regional semifinal, before eliminating No. 3 Amarillo Tascosa 38-28 in the regional final. Having to take down No. 1 San Antonio Wagner in the state title game only felt right, and Denton Ryan did just that. Kaylin Jackson was named MVP of the 5A D-I State Championship Game and led the way with a team-high 24 points and eight rebounds. Zaviyana Madison added 15 points, while Kinley Lewis chipped in six points and 10 rebounds. Jamyla Anderson scored six points, Dez King scored four points, and Atiya Everette chipped in three points to round out the scoring for Denton Ryan. The Lady Raiders used a 12-point scoring run in the fourth quarter to extend the lead out and secure the first state title in school history.
Dallas Lincoln takes down Cuero in 4A D-II State Championship Game
Dallas Lincoln capped off a storybook season with a dominant 60-32 win over Cuero in the 4A D-II State Championship Game. This game, like nearly every other Lincoln playoff game this year, was never really in doubt. Ar’jayla Elder won MVP of the 4A D-II State Championship Game and finished with 19 points, five rebounds and three assists. Lanae Dallas added 15 points and four rebounds while Grace Spencer just missed out on a double-double, finishing with 12 points, nine rebounds and four steals. Jada Patterson scored four points, Sy’Niyah Gulley and T’anna Saddler each finished with three points, and Sanai Lewis and Jayla Culton each chipped in two points to round out the scoring for Dallas Lincoln. The dominant effort against Cuero was a mirror of Lincoln’s season, and it all culminated in the third state title in school history.
Duncanville eliminates Rockwall
Now that we put a bow on a fantastic women’s season, let’s recap one of the men’s regional finals. Duncanville dominated Rockwall from the opening tip en route to a 79-30 victory. Rockwall was unable to handle Duncanville’s full court pressure and struggled to create open looks. The Panthers allowed just 10 points in the first half and led the Yellow Jackets 59-16 after three quarters. Kayden Edwards and Beckham Black led the way for Duncanville with 18 points each. Cam Smith and Christopher Hunt Jr. each chipped in eight points, Xavier Lawson scored seven points, and Chris Gooden Jr. added six points. Noah Santoro led Rockwall in scoring with nine points. Hudson Goellner chipped in five points, and Ajak Mayom and Ethan Gilbert each finished with four points. Duncanville’s dominant win in the regional final sets up what should be a fantastic state semifinal between the Panthers and the Allen Eagles. If you can get to that one on Tuesday night at 7 at Coppell High School, I would highly recommend it. If you do plan on going, I advise getting there as early as possible. The winner of Duncanville and Allen will face the winner of Bellaire and San Antonio Brennan in San Antonio for the 6A D-I championship. San Antonio Brennan is ranked No. 1 in the TABC Top 25, Allen is ranked No. 2, and Duncanville is ranked No. 6. Allen’s lone loss this season came to San Antonio Brennan, but it will have to go through Duncanville if a rematch and a shot at redemption is in the cards.
Player of the Week
My Player of the Week is Denton Ryan’s Kaylin Jackson! In the biggest game in school history, Jackson stole the show with 24 points and eight rebounds on 9-11 from the field. Delivering that type of performance to help deliver the first state title in school history is Player of the Week worthy every single time. Congratulations to Jackson and to Denton Ryan on a historic season!