Valley handles Nazareth to claim Region I-1A championship

LEVELLAND – In a very highly anticipated matchup that had the hype and billing surrounding it, the No. 1-ranked Valley Lady Patriots made quite the statement on Saturday afternoon at the Texan Dome.

Behind a hot start and physical defense, Valley didn’t look like the new kids against tradition-rich Nazareth, but instead, looked like a savvy veteran squad that took it to the No. 5-ranked Swiftettes 51-36 dethroning defending state champion Nazareth while clinching the Region I-1A championship.

Valley, which has carried that No. 1-ranking on its back all season, heads to the UIL Class 1A state tournament at the Alamodome in San Antonio for the first time in 14 years.

“This feeling is undescribable,” Valley head coach Amy Bowles said. “This was the goal all year. The seniors and juniors have been working for this since they were in third grade. They had a mindset that this was going to be our time and get this done and they did it.”

Valley built a double-digit first quarter advantage closing the door on Nazareth (25-11) without allowing any kind of momentum. As good as the Lady Patriot offense was, the Lady Patriots smothering defense that forced over 20 Nazareth turnovers was the story.

“It was surprising to beat Nazareth like that,” said Bowles, who is in her sixth season at Valley. “We had a gameplan and we executed. I feel the press got us going. We didn’t start in a press on Friday, but it helped us control the game against Nazareth. We wanted to come out blazing and put pressure on them. I loved how we played defensively. One of the goals was to put pressure on them and we did that.”

The Lady Patriots couldn’t have asked for a better start to Saturday’s game. Valley jumped out to a 12-0 lead and led Nazareth 18-6 after the first quarter highlighted on a buzzer beating 3-pointer by senior leader Reese Cruse.

Cruse wasn’t done with her performance hitting mid-range jumpers and from the perimeter in the second stanza to tally 15 of her 21 points by halftime.

“It was big to get off to the start we did,” Cruse said. “Nazareth plays great defense but we were able to knock down shots. This was redemption for me. I was hurt all of last season and Nazareth knocked us out. It’s crazy to think about all the obstacles we’ve had to go through as a team. But we’ve had that chemistry and we’ve been behind each other all year. It’s really special to get to share this with my team.”

Cruse had an amazing regional tournament totaling 42 points after dropping in 21 as well in a 62-32 thumping over Borden County on Friday night in the semifinals.

Along with Cruse came teammate and post player Trinity Schlueter. Schlueter has been on fire the entire postseason and it didn’t stop against the Swiftettes especially in the third quarter. Schlueter scored the first six points of the third that put Valley up 35-15, finishing with 13 of her game-high 24 points in the second half.

“Trinity and Reese were huge,” Bowles said. “They stepped up in this game. Reese hit key shots early that really got us going. Then Trinity is always a go-to player for us, and she delivered like she always does.”

Nazareth’s Brooklyn Birkenfeld led the team with 12 points.

Valley      18  30  41  51
Nazareth  6  13  24  36
V- Trinity Schlueter 24, Reese Cruse 21. N- Brooklyn Birkenfeld 12, Harley Gerber 7, Tatum Peterson 7. Records: Valley 37-2; Nazareth 25-11.