Strong start doesn’t hold up as Atascocita falters late

WACO — Atascocita started out with a surge but couldn’t maintain its intensity throughout Saturday’s Class 5A Region II final against Allen.

More importantly, the Eagles had no answer defensively for Allen’s Nick Rutherford.

Rutherford had a game-high 27 points, going 15-for-16 from the freethrow line, to help Allen beat Atascocita 65-58 and earn a trip to the 5A state tournament in Austin.

Atascocita finished the season with a 29-7 record.

“We had a great season,” Atascocita coach David Martinez said. “These kids, like I told them before, they have nothing to hang their heads about. We fought to the end.”

Atascocita’s leading scorer was senior big man Zach Haney, who finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds.’

Atascocita forward Joe Burton, however, had trouble finding open looks. The Allen defense held him to just four points and one rebound.

“Zach had a doubledouble, but we needed everybody to step up tonight,” Martinez said.

The 3-pointers fell early for Atascocita. The Eagles hit two quick shots beyond the arc to open the game and kept the shooters hot throughout the first half. Atascocita hit 5-of-10 from long distance in the first half but finished just 9-of-24.

“We weren’t getting anything inside,” Martinez said. “They were really pushing us around in there, and we needed to get some inside buckets.”

Once Haney took a seat on the bench, Allen senior center Jamuni McNeace started to find his rhythm. He finished the first game with 10 points and eight boards.

“Jamuni has played great for us in the playoffs,” Allen head coach Jeff McCullough said. “His upside is unbelievable. I’m really proud of the way he’s focused and battled.”

Atascocita went away from the 3-pointer to start the second quarter and focused on getting the ball inside. The shots weren’t falling, and the Eagles went scoreless for the first three minutes of the second quarter.

Allen came out strong after halftime. After failing to hold a lead at all in the first half, Allen surged back to close the gap. Going into the final quarter, Atascocita’s lead was just one point.

In the final four minutes of the game, Atascocita went primarily with a four-guard lineup in an attempt to rally from a 49-41 deficit.

With the tempo turned up, the Atascocita guards committed fouls and turnovers in the open court. Allen responded by draining free throws.

Atascocita wouldn’t go away quietly. With the odds against them, the Atascocita guards drained late 3-pointers and made inbounding the ball difficult for Allen.