Difference now is that they’re still playing, and those opponents aren’t.
Finding a way to grind through it has been a theme for No. 5 Amarillo High, and No. 4 El Paso Chapin became the latest team to find that out Saturday afternoon in the Region I-5A final at Kay Yeager Coliseum.
The Sandies took control of the game in the third quarter and didn’t let up to win 51-40 and earn a spot in next week’s state tournament in San Antonio. It was probably a closer game than the score indicated, and considering the rankings of both teams, it went as expected competitively.
“We knew it was going to be this kind of game and it’s tough to play that game any day,” said AHS coach Jason Pillion, who is taking the Sandies to their third state semifinal in 11 years. “It was especially that way after having to play the way we did 16 hours ago against (Mansfield) Summit. It was a similar type game.”
It was a struggle for both teams offensively in the first half, as Chapin led 18-17.
Amarillo High had the biggest lead in the first half at 13-7, but the Sandies weren’t cohesive offensively. Region tournament MVP Braden Hausen carried them with 10 points, including seven in the second quarter.
“We were missing shots, and they had their hands on us and that kind of slowed us down,” Hausen said. “We fought through the pressure and did what we were supposed to do. That’s the thing we’ve been working on all year. We get to the region tournament and the refs don’t call a lot of fouls and kind of let you play.”
The teams traded baskets early in the third quarter, but Amarillo High turned out to have more scoring options in the second half than the Huskies. That’s when Zach Brown took the baton from Hausen.
Brown scored on a layup off an assist from Hausen and was fouled, converting a free throw to complete a 3-point play. He also hit a 3-pointer in the third quarter, but did the rest of his damage from the free throw line, making 11-of-13 from the charity stripe.
With 19 of his game-high 22 points coming in the second half, Brown had back-to-back games of at least 20 points in the region tournament.
“We were confident at halftime because we were only down one,” Brown said. “We just knew that if we came out screening and moved the ball we were going to be OK. We can all hit a spark and that’s what’s fun about this team. Somebody’s not hitting, there’s going to be somebody else step up.”
By the end of the third quarter, Amarillo High led 34-25 and while that was hardly insurmountable, the way the Sandies were playing defense made it hard for Chapin to overcome.
The Sandies built their lead to as much as 14 in the final minutes. Julian Pacheco kept the Huskies from getting blown out by hitting three 3-pointers in the fourth quarter.
“We didn’t play Husky basketball,” Chapin coach Rodney Lewis said. “We were always at their pace. (The Sandies) are really good at dictating pace. Those players play in their system well. I told our guys we needed to get out and be the ones who got the lead.”
The regional tournament has become a familiar place for Amarillo High, and the Sandies looked entirely comfortable there even in the toughest moments.
“I think you saw our experience play out in the second half,” Pillion said. “We got really jump shot happy in the first half and I think their aggressiveness defensively had a lot to do with that. We learned from the past and responded very well like an experienced team should.”
