Galena Park outlasts Desoto
School’s 1st state final appearance since 1997 awaits.
DeSoto missed a pair of 3-pointers in the waning seconds Friday as Galena Park North Shore held on for a 48-45 victory in a Class 5A semifinal at the UIL boys basketball tournament.
DeSoto’s Julian Miranda stole a wayward inbounds pass with 4.6 seconds to play, but his 3-pointer from the corner hit the front rim. North Shore secured the rebound, but turned the ball over with 0.7 seconds to play.
On the ensuing inbounds play, Miranda had an open look from the opposite corner, but his shot fell short.
North Shore (34-3) will play Converse Judson or Allen in the Class 5A final on Saturday at the Erwin Center. Judson and Allen met in the other 5A semifinal late Friday night.
Jalin Hart hit a pair of free throws with 35.8 seconds remaining to give North Shore a 4443 lead. On the ensuing possession, Jarrey Foster blocked a driving shot by DeSoto and was fouled on the rebound. He converted both free throws to give North Shore a threepoint lead that stood up in the final 20 seconds.
“It’s our defense first, so I didn’t see anything special (on that play),” Foster said. “I think I took it away from his midsection, then we got tangled up.”
Before the frantic final minute, North Shore’s pressure defense gave DeSoto problems all game-long while forcing 26 turnovers. North Shore needed all of those extra possessions to counter its offensive struggles, which included 26.3 percent shooting from the field.
North Shore is competing in its third state tournament and advanced to the championship game for the first time since the 1997 season, when it fell to Kimball 64-53 in the 5A final.
Class A, Division II semifinals
Water Valley 58, Nazareth 42: Water Val- ley dominated from the opening tip in advancing to the first state-title game in program history.
The Wildcats (28-5) opened the game with a 6-0 run and led 19-4 after the first quarter. The lead had ballooned to 25 points at halftime, 35-10, as Nazareth committed 13 turnovers in the first two quarters and shot just 3-of-10 from the field.
“We talked about trying to get a quick start with our pressure (defense),” said Water Valley coach Andy Copley. “It was a long day (waiting for the game) and to get a quick start was a big key for us.”
Nazareth did score 32 points in the second half, but the Swifts finished with 24 turnovers as Water Valley piled up 20 steals.
— SEAN SHAPIRO, FOR AA-S
Laneville 55, Cumby
Miller Grove 54:
Tiarel Franklin’s free throw with fewer than 10 seconds remaining helped move Laneville one step closer to the school’s first state title since 2008.
Dontavious Harris scored 30 points, and Franklin’s fifth point of the night was the game-winner in a narrow victory over Cumby Miller Grove. On Saturday night, Laneville (336) will play Water Valley for the Class A, Division II title.
Cumby Miller Grove entered the final quarter with a 42-36 lead, but Laneville flipped the script and held a sixpoint advantage with 3:27 to play. Cumby Miller Grove battled back, and Patrick Covington tied the game with 47 seconds left.
Laneville killed nearly 40 seconds off the clock before Franklin was fouled with 9.7 seconds to go. Franklin made his first free throw, but after a timeout, the junior guard missed his second attempt, and Cumby Miller Grove snagged the rebound.
The Hornets opted not to use one of their two remaining timeouts, and Cumby Miller Grove junior Aaron Smith missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer.
Cumby Miller Grove (27-10) was led by Covington, who scored 25 points on 11-of-13 shooting.
— DANNY DAVIS
Class 2A semifinals Ponder 51, Aransas Pass 47:
Chase Harris scored 20 points, including five in the last 1 minute, 50 seconds to push Ponder past Aransas Pass in a Class 2A state semifinal.
Ponder (31-7) led for most of the game and never trailed by more than two points, but the Lions fell behind 46-45 after Aransas Pass’ Troy Galvan sank two free throws with 2:59 to play. Harris then hit a free throw before adding a 3-pointer with 1:15 to go that gave Ponder a 49-46 lead.
Trailing 50-47, Aransas Pass had the ball and a chance to tie with 38.9 seconds to play. The Panthers whittled down the clock before Colin Hale took a contest- ed three-point shot from the baseline corner that glanced off the rim. Harris grabbed the rebound with 2.2 seconds to go, was fouled and made a free throw to secure the victory.
Tatum 58, Bushland 41:
Tatum relied on a balanced offensive attack and a decisive second-quarter run to advance to the Class 2A final.
Chaston Brooks led Tatum (35-4) with 15 points. Martin Williams and Robbie Rockwell added 12 and 10 points, respectively, for the Eagles while Klifton Willis had nine points and 10 rebounds.
Leading 16-12 after the first quarter, Tatum grabbed control of the game with a 19-4 run in the second period. The Eagles’ lead grew to as many as 22 points late in the third quarter.
Teagan Shelton and Taylor Cornelius scored 11 points apiece to lead Bushland (27-9), which was making its state-tournament debut.
— STEVE HABEL, FOR AA-S