This time in Round Two of Amarillo High vs. Lubbock Monterey playoff style, No. 4-ranked Amarillo High never wavered walking out of a jammed packed Hutcherson Center Monday night with a win over No. 7-ranked Monterey and securing a trip to the Region I-5A girls basketball tournament.
Led by 31 points from the shortest starter on the court – 5 foot, three inch senior Jada Graves – Amarillo High (34-5) refused to let the unreal scoring of Monterey junior guard Aaliyah Chavez’ 50 points get in the way of an emotional and intense 75-68 win in a Region I-5A quarterfinal game played out before a sold out Hutcherson Center crowd – entrance to the game was stopped 10 minutes before tipoff because all tickets had been sold – on the Wayland Baptist campus.
Last year, it was Monterey celebrating in this same round over AHS surviving an epic five-overtime win, a game setting the stage for this much-anticipated rematch.
Amarillo High 19-year head coach Jeff Williams (553-125 at AHS) was all smiles after this one as his team handled the heat the final three minutes going on a game-clinching 9-3 run turning a 3-point lead into a 68-58 cushion with 81 seconds to play.
“I am so proud of this team,” Williams said. “What can you say? So many of our players stepped up and had a hand in this win.”
These two teams didn’t disappoint the raucous crowd reacting in loud fashion to every basket and every whistle. For instance, in the third quarter alone there were eight lead changes and three ties.
Chavez’ 50 points were 64.1 percent of Monterey’s scoring, and AHS ability to not let another player hurt it in a big scoring way was the deciding factor in this outcome.
Monterey sophomore Ambrosia Cole was next in scoring at nine points, while the rest of the team added nine points.
“We were guarding the heck out of Chavez,” Willams said. “It’s just an incredible deal. Chavez is something else. Just something else.
“But that was really big not allowing any other player to get going because Bro Bro (Ambrosia Cole) can also put up 40 as well. I thought we did a really nice job on her.”
Graves started fast scoring 13 of Amarillo High’s 20 points in the first quarter. Graves at times guarded Chavez, at times scored from the outside, at times made difficult layups in the lane, and at many times posted up her defender in the paint.
Graves, a signee with New Mexico Junior College, was a brilliant 12-of-15 from the floor shooting, grabbed eight rebounds and dished out five assists.
“Jada was incredible,” Williams said. “She was getting that ball inside and banging like a post. It was 5-3 vs. 5-3 go to work. And she did. Jada is a great player.”
Graves said she felt good even before the game started thanks to a wonderful team lunch at Jason Deli’s topped off with ice cream.
“We decided to keep our composure and not let our emotions get the best of us,” Graves said. “So, if we got down, we just had the mindset of keep going. … what this team means to me is a lot. We have come through a lot of adversity. People say we are too small and not as good as last year. But I think we are every bit as good as last year’s team. I just really love this team.”
Graves said of her inspiring performance “it felt pretty good. I was just looking to help my team win. I wasn’t chasing points. I just wanted to come out with the win.”
While Graves was definitely the key cog in the AHS win, several players provided plays leading to the win:
Senior Taytum Bell was a constant calming influence on her team and wound up one rebound shy of a double-double grabbing a game-high nine rebounds and scoring 13 points.
Senior Kirbi Simpson seemed to be in the middle of a bit of everything good scoring 11 points, canning a pair of 3-pointers, grabbing seven rebounds and dishing out five assists.
Junior Ca’nia Mitchell took on the chores of guarding Chavez much of the game, scored 11 points, and came through in the clutch scoring five points over the final 1:39.
Junior Bella Edwards scored six points but her two 3-pointers were perfect timing. She buried a difficult step back 3-pointer from the corner as time ended in the third quarter giving AHS a 48-47 lead. Her second tray arrived with 2:16 remaining stretching the AHS lead to 66-57 and putting Monterey in chase mode the remainder of the game.
Monterey coach Jill Schneider said AHS’ late 9-3 run changed the game, along with offensive rebounding in the first half.
“A good team like Amarillo High that’s all they need at that stage of the game is just a good little run,” Schneider said. “That creates enough separation because then you have the clock working against you. It’s not like a run in the first quarter where you can recover from.
“I think we did a good job. They just had more players step up and make plays. Graves is a nice player and stepped up in a big way.
“Chavez put us on our shoulders like she always does but we didn’t have enough help for her.”
Considering this was the third round of the Class 5A playoffs, considering the sold out 3,000 seat arena, considering the recent playoff history of these two teams, this was no doubt an instant classic and feather in the cap for Texas high school girls basketball.
“This was an amazing crowd,” Schneider said. “I just love a game like this. I said this last year after our game against Amarillo High at Littlefield how honored I am to be part of this. For this many people to pack a gym in West Texas to see two really good teams play was just great.”
AHS coach Williams echoed Schneider’s appreciation for what took place Monday night.
“This type of crowd where they start coming in early is special,” Williams said. “When we drive up the girls that weren’t in the game last year didn’t get to see the lines coming into the game at Littlefield. They were dumbfounded and excited and appreciative. This was great not only for women’s basketball in West Texas but across the country. What a game we have that is on fire right now. To be a part of that was really cool.”
AHS moves into the Region I-5A semifinals taking on No. 1 Mansfield Timberview at 6 p.m. Friday at Kay Yeager Coliseum in Wichita Falls.
AHS and Timberview met way back on Nov. 11 in a metro-plex tournament with Timberview coming away a 66-54 winner.