Nazareth packs bags for San Antonio with convincing win against Jayton

The Nazareth Swiftettes are headed back to San Antonio once again and did in very Nazareth fashion.

Behind a bullying defense and an explosive second half surge offensively, Nazareth pulled away from Jayton to get a commanding 41-15 victory in the UIL Class 1A Division II state semifinals at the Rip Griffin Center on the Lubbock Christian University on Monday night.

Nazareth (28-9) will play for a second state championship in the past three years and look for an unprecedented record 26th state title when they play Tuesday’s Saltillo-Zavala winner in the state championship game at 11 a.m. at San Antonio’s Alamodome.

“Two years not being in San Antonio feels like a longtime,” Nazareth head coach Eric Schilling said. “This team is tough and a blast to coach. I’ve been fortunate to coach a team like this. They work together and they are a special group. I want a state title for them because they treat each other right.”

The first half was a slugfest with Nazareth taking an odd score of 17-8 into halftime. The Swiftettes offense woke up in the third quarter finding holes in the Jayton (25-13) defense going on a 9-0 burst in the opening minutes taking a 26-8 lead. From there, it was all Nazareth on both ends of the floor.

“Jayton defended well and it was hard for us to get in an offensive rhythm. I’m proud of this team for battling and holding a team to 15 points. The defense was tough for us and that was big. That’s been big for us all year. We pressured their guards and when we did that it was hard for them to get into anything.”

Brooklyn Birkenfeld registered a team-high 13 points for Nazareth with teammate Kambri Cleavinger adding nine.

Farwell punches ticket to 2A Division II state championship downing Lipan

Farwell kept up the hot play through the playoffs punching a ticket to the UIL state title game for the first time in a quarter of a century. 

A fast start on top of a dominating second half were a recipe for success as the Lady Blue ran away from Lipan 70-49 in a UIL Class 2A Division II state final at the Moody Coliseum on the campus of Abilene Christian University on Monday night.

Farwell (35-3) is now set to play in its first state championship game since winning the title in 2000 when they get Tuesday’s Martin’s Mill-Goldthwaite winner at 5 p.m. Thursday afternoon at San Antonio’s Alamodome. 

“This win means everything to our team,” Farwell head coach Joe Crabb said. “This has been the goal of this senior group since they were little, and they were able to accomplish that. I’m just so proud of how they’ve played together all season. Everyone is thrilled. We have a great fanbase that made the trip to Abilene. They were loud and supportive and we’re thankful to have them behind us.”

Farwell had a great first quarter going up 17-5 with Makylee Baldwin leading the charge with six points in the opening eight minutes. Lipan (25-12) battled back cutting the deficit 34-27 at the half but Farwell put the game away in the third outscoring the Lady Indians 21-9 in the quarter to take a 55-36 lead.

“There were multiple things that helped us win,” Crabb said. “We shot the ball very well and we were able to get inside on them. Makylee (Baldwin) got to the bucket, and we hit some big 3-pointers. The goal was to go up by 13 in the third but we stretched that to a 20-point lead, so we surpassed that. I was so happy with how we played.”

Baldwin was on her game scoring a game-high 21 points for Farwell including eight in the fourth quarter. Bella Jaime followed with 16 and Landri Richey added 14 including a pair of big 3-pointers in the third.

Nocona stuns Panhandle in Class 2A Division I state semifinals

In one of the more shocking games Monday, the Panhandle Ettes saw a great year come to a heartbreaking end falling to Nocona 46-41 during a UIL Class 2A Division I state semifinal matchup in Brekenridge.

The Ettes, the Region I Division I champions, finish a tremendous year at 32-4. Nocona (31-6) is headed to the UIL Class 2A Division I state championship to face Tuesday’s winner between LaPoyner and San Saba at 7 p.m. Thursday night in San Antonio’s Alamodome.

Panhandle held an 11-6 lead at the end of one and a 21-15 advantage at the break. The Lady Indians battled back closing the margin 32-31 by the end of three and thanks to a quick 4-0 run went up 35-32 in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter. Panhandle battled back going up 39-37.

However, Nocona made back-to-back buckets to take a 41-39 lead with 1:10 to play. The Ettes had a 3-point look from Avery Cathey on the right wing, but the shot fell short with a minute left forcing Panhandle to foul and chase Nocona the rest of the way.

Ann Garrison tallied a team-high 24 points for Panhandle. Nocona’s Megyn Meekins was a menace for the Ettes pouring in a game-best 34 points.