Amarillo High, Tascosa fall in heartbreakers at Region I-5A Tournament

WICHITA FALLS- They all had to work overtime Friday evening at Kay Yeager Coliseum.

When the work was done, though, both Amarillo High and Tascosa were done for the season. All they could think about was how close they were to still working on Saturday afternoon.

In a pair of memorable Region I-5A semifinal games, both AHS and Tascosa went to overtime with their respective opponents but didn’t get the results they wanted. No. 4 Amarillo High and No. 1 Mansfield Timberview battled it out before Timberview prevailed 55-52 in overtime, and No. 17 Tascosa and No. 12 Argyle topped that game in the nightcap, going two overtimes as Argyle prevailed 61-59.

A mere five points kept Amarillo High (35-5) and Tascosa (26-7) from meeting in Saturday’s 1 p.m. region championship game to determine who would go to the state tournament next week. Both AHS and Tascosa had last second opportunities to tie their respective games, but their shots wouldn’t fall.

The AHS-Timberview game may have been as hyped as any game in the state and more than lived up to that. Sadly, the Lady Sandies fell short of Timberview (38-1) for the second time this season.

“It was a battle in every way,” AHS coach Jeff Williams said. “We came up short to a really good team and got off to a terrible start and fought back. We had our chances but you have to take your hat off to them, they were the more physical team at times and that’s really where I think the difference was.”

The first half was a tale of two very different quarters, with Timberview taking a 24-22 lead into the locker room.

Amarillo High’s Taytum Bell got the scoring started with a 3-pointer, but Timberview then scored 16 straight points to take control of the quarter. For good measure, Timberview’s Maryaune Adeyeye hit a halfcourt shot as the buzzer sounded to give the Lady Timberwolves a 19-5 lead, making a huge difference in the game.

The Lady Sandies, though, scored the first six points of the second quarter to get back into the game. Bella Edwards hit three 3-pointers as the Lady Sandies cut the deficit to two at the half.

It was a back-and-forth affair for much of the second half, as neither team led by more than six points. Amarillo High took a 40-36 lead after three quarters, but Timberview scored eight straight points to go up 46-41 in the fourth quarter.

However, the Lady Sandies answered back to take a 48-46 lead before Timberview tied it with a basket to make it 48-48 end eventually force the extra period.
“I’m proud that our kids kept battling and we actually got into some of our stuff toward the rim,” Williams said.

The teams traded baskets and Adyeye hit her second huge shot of the game with a jumper to make it 54-52 with a half-minute left. Amarillo High’s Jada Graves then missed two free throws, forcing the Lady Sandies to foul Tamaiya Mims with 10 seconds left.

Mims made one of two free throws, and on the ensuing possession, Amarillo’s Cania Mitchell missed a desperation 3-pointer, and Timberview survived.
Edwards led the Lady Sandies with 18 points while Graves had 12 and Bell added 10. Emilee Jones led Timberview with 18 points while Kamryn Wilson scored 14 and Adyeye had 12.

The Tascosa-Argyle game was arguably even more competitive, as neither team led by more than six points, and that came when Argyle (34-5) opened the game with a 7-1 run.

However, the Lady Rebels were able to recover from that early stumble in a defensive oriented first half. They rallied in the second quarter and actually led 19-17 at halftime.

Tascosa forced the first overtime when with less than nine seconds left in regulation, La’Kenzee Dickson hit a 3-pointer from the corner to tie the game at 48-48. However, momentum in the game rarely lasted beyond a possession.

“We had a couple of chances there when I thought maybe we could come up with a loose ball or a rebound that maybe if we secure that it gives us a shot,” Tascosa coach Chris Sumrall said. “In a game like this it’s going to come down to one possession basically. A turnover or a missed blockout becomes pretty critical.”

With 10 seconds left in the first overtime, Tascosa’s Avery Carter hit a pair of free throws for a 54-53 lead. Argyle’s Samantha Bacon was fouled with 1.6 seconds left on the next possession and made the first, but missed the second, forcing another overtime.

Argyle didn’t score from the floor in the second OT, but made 7-of-8 from the charity stripe. Mallory Millington made one of two free throws to make it 61-59 as the Lady Rebels had one last chance to win it.

Carter drove the key and took a jumper inside 10 feet, but it was off the mark, clinching it for Argyle.

It marked the end of a what could have been day for the AISD schools. Sumrall said the Lady Rebels got the look they wanted with Carter.

“It was a play we drew up to get her the ball right there,” Sumrall said. “We’re getting our best scorer going downhill with the ball and I’ll take my chances with that. You put it in her hands and see if you can make the play. It’s not so much the outcome at that point as much as did you get a shot. You let her try to create a shot and she missed and that’s just how it goes sometimes.”

Devaeh Johnson led Tascosa with 16 points, but in a turn of events which impacted the Lady Rebels in the overtimes, she fouled out late in regulation. Dickson had 15 and Carter scored 13.

Gabby Campbell led Argyle with 18 points, including 15 after halftime. Bacon scored 15.