Falcons’ championship bid falls short
Last-second attempt in OT hits rim; Eagles claim first state title
SAN ANTONIO — Tompkins had already survived one overtime game in the Class 6A state tournament. Another was just too much. Allen edged the Falcons 49-47 in overtime to take the 6A title Saturday night at the Alamodome.
C.J. Washington and Jamal Bieniemy had 15 points apiece for Tompkins.
Tompkins previously had been in an overtime game this weekend, needing an extra period to put South Garland away in an 80-76 win in Friday’s state semifinals.
Allen won after forcing Bieniemy into a turnover with five seconds left in overtime of a 4747 game. That led to a fast break capped by Allen’s Donovan Parham making an uncontested layup with 1.1 seconds left.
“We wanted to clear it out for Jamal,” Tompkins coach Bobby Sanders said. “If I had 100 more chances, I’d do the same exact thing. I didn’t want to call a timeout because their defense wasn’t set and if anybody has the ball it should be No. 24.”
Allen coach Jeff McCullough said he hoped to dial up the pressure and force Tompkins to take a bad shot.
Bieniemy said there was a lot of traffic around him as he tried to put up that shot, which ended up being a turnover.
Allen’s Jaylen Walker made the outlet pass that led to Parham’s score after the Tompkins turnover.
“I was just trying to sprint out and make sure no one caught me,” Parham said.
There was just enough time left for one more shot for Tompkins and that went to Bieniemy, too, who narrowly missed after getting a clean look.
This game had the kind of ebb and flow that suggested it would come down to a crucial play.
Allen was a hair off from snatching a victory in regulation off Walker’s 3-point attempt at the buzzer, which bounced off the rim.
Tompkins handled much of regulation like veterans, consistently staving off Allen anytime the Eagles tried to overtake the game. But regulation never got out of hand with Allen’s largest lead at three points in the third quarter and Tompkins’ at seven in the first.
Allen took a 45-44 lead off Scott’s free throw to start overtime and Tompkins followed with a turnover on the other end.
The score stayed that way until Tompkins got a corner 3-pointer from Eden Holt with 50 seconds remaining, giving the Falcons a 47-45 lead.
That looked like the dagger until Allen’s Walker sunk two free throws on the other end to tie the game.
Tompkins looked for a shot to steal the win on its next possession, which had Bieniemy handling the ball. But Allen forced the turnover and Parham stole the spotlight.
Bieniemy said his last heave with 1.1 seconds left was a good opportunity that just didn’t pan out.
“It was a good look,” Bieniemy said. “I thought it was going in, but it didn’t bounce our way and that’s life. Just like that the season’s over in high school. We just have to get past it and move on. It’s still life to live.
“We still have life after basketball. We still have to wake up. Tomorrow is going to be Sunday. We still have to breathe and live for each other.
Four-year-old Tompkins still made history this year, becoming the Katy Independent School District’s first state tournament qualifier in boys basketball.