The Cooldown: Week 24
We’re down to the waning days of basketball season. Girls wrapped up last weekend in a historic way, while the boys tip off the state semifinals tonight and end the season on Saturday.
Let’s recap the girls state championship and boys regional finals, preview the boys state semifinals and name players-of-the-week.
State Championship Recap
Though incredibly special, there isn’t anything inherently historic about earning a berth to play in the state championship game. Two teams accomplished that special feat this year, with Hightower and Summer Creek each able to make it to state in the first year of divisions added to classifications for basketball. That means two champions for class 6A rather than one; 12 state champions total rather than six – just like we’ve had in football for years.
Allow Summer Creek to bring the historic to the table. On the 10th anniversary of the 2015 Cy Woods state championship team, the Lady Bulldogs brought home a title by rallying from an 18-point deficit to be Cedar Hill, 52-49. It’s the first girls basketball state championship won by a Houston area program since 2015 Cy Woods.
Kennedy Simpson was named the MVP of the state championship game after keying Summer Creek’s rally. She finished with 21 points, four rebounds, four assists and four steals. Perhaps the most impressive thing Simpson did, however, was draw fouls. She shot a game-high 20 free throws, making 14 of them. That’s five more free throws than Cedar Hill shot as a team, and 14 more free throws than any other individual player shot in the game. Simpson earning her way to the stripe played a massive role in Summer Creek’s win.
Simpson was the only Lady Bulldog in double figures. Addison Martin finished with nine points, while Endia Thomas chipped in eight. Summer Creek trailed by as many as 18 points in the second half, and trailed 42-30 at the start of the fourth quarter. The 21 points the Lady Bulldogs scored in the fourth quarter is more than two-thirds the points they had in the first three quarters combined.
The introduction of divisions provides more opportunity to win a state championship, which is good thing. Especially at the higher classifications where there are more schools, Exceptionally talented teams deserve a chance to play for a state championship. Before, only Hightower or Summer Creek could’ve advanced to state. It was good to see each get a crack at a state championship, and Summer Creek made history with its opportunity.
Though Hightower – who played at 5 p.m., right before Summer Creek – lost its state championship game, it was an incredibly special season for the Lady Canes nonetheless.
Hightower lost a good game to Boswell, 51-42. Chandler Caver led the way with 19 points and four rebounds, while Ogechi Okeke posted a double-double with 12 points and 14 rebounds. Kimora Denkins chipped in nine points, with all of her shots coming from 3-point range.
That puts a bow on another season of girls basketball. Congratulations to Summer Creek for ending Houston’s state championship drought, Hightower for a special season as state runners-up, and every other Houston area team for providing us with great highlights and storylines all season long.
Katy Jordan upsets Shadow Creek in overtime thriller
Though it isn’t a huge upset – it is one if you go by the state rankings. Shadow Creek finished the regular season ranked No. 4, while Katy Jordan clocked in at No. 10 in those rankings, yet Jordan was able to win an overtime thriller over the Sharks, 60-57, to advance to the state semifinals.
The game was back-and-forth all night. Shadow Creek led by one point at the end of the first, three points at halftime and six points to start the fourth quarter. Jordan was able to make up those six points in the fourth quarter before outscoring the Sharks 8-5 in overtime.
Four Warriors finished the game in double figures, with Jaden Holt leading the way with 16 points. Keegan Morehead added 12 points; Elijah Black finished with 11 and Rayan Fadika had 10 points. Holt also led the charge for the Warriors in their midweek regional semifinal win against C.E. King with 15 points, five rebounds and four assists.
Powered by Holt’s shooting, Jordan now heads to the state semifinals to face unranked San Antonio Harlan. If Jordan can win that one, they’ll face the winner of No. 11 Denton Guyer and unranked College Park in the state championship game.
La Marque advances to state semifinals with convincing win over Wimberley
Though the game was never really in question, La Marque did get a good test against Wimberley in a 74-60 win.
After leading up as many as 25 points, Wimberley was able to rally in the second half to cut the lead down to six points with two minutes left. The Cougars closed the game on a 11-3 run to win comfortably. Having to respond to a late game rally could serve them well with the state semifinals up next.
Jasiya Johnson led the way for La Marque with 18 points and five rebounds. Je’Caryous Oliver posted 15 points, while Jordan Lusk chipped in 11 points and seven rebounds. Joshua Minix was just outside double figures with nine points.
Next up is a showdown with Wheatley, who finished the season ranked No. 8 in the state. La Marque closed the season ranked No. 9, so this should be a pretty even matchup. On the other side of the 4A-II bracket is No. 12 Kennedale and No. 14 Krum. Either way, a Houston area team will be represented in the state championship game, and the state semifinal game to decide that representative should be a thriller.
Player of the Week
With the girls season wrapped up, we’re down to just the boys left for player-of-the-week.
While the 6A-II bracket features a pair of unranked teams – and none inside the top nine of the state rankings – in the final four, the 6A-I bracket is a little more menacing. The final four features No. 2 Allen vs. No. 6 Duncanville and No. 1 San Antonio Brennan vs. unranked Bellaire, who beat Summer Creek to advance to the regional finals, where they took down No. 13 Seven Lakes.
Bellaire won their regional semifinal game 75-66 behind 25 points from Shelton Henderson, a Duke signee. For his big game to propel Bellaire to the regional finals and the school’s first-ever state semifinals – especially as the only unranked team left in the 6A-I bracket – Henderson is my player-of-the-week!