Head coach Jeff Williams picks up 700th career victory as Amarillo High beats Tascosa

There have been bigger wins than what Amarillo High Lady Sandies coach Jeff Williams experienced Tuesday night, but few have been as representative.

In a crosstown matchup which carried probably as much weight statewide as it did locally, No. 3 Amarillo High hosted No. 4 Tascosa in a game where the leader could, at least temporarily, claim some supremacy in District 3-5A. It turned out to be a historic night for Williams and the Lady Sandies, which was good news for them.

Amarillo High never trailed but never was comfortable against Tascosa until the final few minutes. The result was a 51-40 Amarillo High victory which not only was a nice way to end 2024 at home for the Lady Sandies, but represented a milestone for Williams in the most appropriate of situations.

Williams got his 700th career against Amarillo High’s arch rival, which had made a huge statement just four days earlier by beating former No. 1 Lubbock Monterey 61-60. The Sandies (17-2, 6-0 in district), though, may have made a bigger statement in district with the win, as they now sit alone atop 3-5A.

“With Tascosa and a coach (Chris) Sumrall coached team it’s always going to be a tough battle,” Williams said. “That’s what made it so important and so exciting. I’m just so proud of our kids. It could have gone either way but we pulled some big rebounds.”

At least two of the previous 699 victories by Williams rank bigger than Tuesday’s as he led the Lady Sandies to consecutive state championships in 2018 and 2019. Beating a rival like Tascosa (16-3, 4-1) in a local matchup between top five teams, has to be as important as any regular season victory Williams has experienced.

The first half was about as good as advertised, but better for Amarillo High. The biggest lead came at the very end of the half, when Bella Edwards hit a 3-pointer before the buzzer to send the Lady Sandies to the locker room with a 27-21 halftime lead.

Both teams had to fight fairly hard for their points as the defenses grudgingly gave up points. The difference was Amarillo High’s proficiency from beyond the arc, as the Lady Sandies hit six 3s in the first two quarters to two for Tascosa.

Neither offense distinguished itself in the third quarter, as the Lady Sandies extended their lead to 47-37. The difference, literally, was Ca’Nia MItchell, who scored all 10 of Amarillo High’s points in the quarter and had 16 of her game-high 19 points in the second half.

“We really challenged her on some of her decision making and finishing around the rim,” Williams said of Mitchell. “It was time for her to finish some shots and she did that. She’s our engine and I was glad to see her do that because she was kind of in her own head with some shots she missed in the first half. I was really proud of her for finishing up late.”

Tascosa fought but struggled to get within single digits in the fourth quarter. The Lady Sandies led by as many as 14 in the final period.

This is a big week for Williams and the Lady Sandies, as they’ll get their crack at Monterey and superstar Aaliyah Chavez on Friday afternoon in yet another key district game in Lubbock. The milestone win and beating Tascosa already have made it a good week, but in typical fashion, Williams kept it in perspective.

“It means I’ve had a lot of really good kids,” said Williams of winning 700 games. “It goes all the way back to Dumas. We’ve got a tough Monterey team Friday, but we needed to protect our homecourt. It’s important, so we can check that one off our list.”

Edwards scored 12 points for the Lady Sandies and Kam Soukup had 11. Perhaps sensing the urgency of the game, Williams didn’t sub for any of his five starters in the second half.
Davaeh Johnson was Tascosa’s lone scorer in double digits with 12 points.