Veteran Fulshear ready for new test in semifinals
The Fulshear girls basketball team thrives when attempting the unprecedented.
Before last week, the Chargers had never played in a regional tournament. Lamar Consolidated ISD had never been represented at the girls basketball state tournament.
That changes at 8:30 p.m. Thursday when Fulshear (33-5) meets Lubbock Cooper (30-6) in the Class 5A semifinals at the Alamodome in San Antonio.
“We always knew it was possible with our work ethic,” Fulshear junior Kimora Lopez said. “All of us work hard, coming in the morning before even school starts, staying after school to shoot around. We always knew this was possible. We just had to execute and get the job done.”
Fulshear returned the majority of a group that finished 24-10 and reached the Region III-5A quarterfinals, then the longest postseason run in program history.
The experience showed from the start, with a 12-3 record prior to District 20-5A play. The Chargers defeated Class 6A playoff qualifiers Tomball Memorial, Cypress Springs, Alief Taylor, Bellaire, Grand Oaks, Memorial and Clear Brook, as well as a win against defending III-5A champion College Station.
Senior Ese Ogbevire said the team was focused early.
“It came down to the little things, like team chemistry and taking every practice serious,” Ogbevire said. “Once we did all those little things, everything started to fall into place.”
Fulshear dominated most of its 14 district games, outscoring opponents by an average of 7527. Only rival Foster stayed within single digits at 5748 during the teams’ first 20-5A meeting.
The Chargers eliminated Wisdom 83-9, Friendswood 70-38 and La Porte 53-39 to reach the Region III-5A tournament. In the semifinal against Pflugerville, they saw a 27-14 halftime lead dwindle to one possession but held on for a 54-53 victory.
The final brought a rematch of a December tournament game, one Pflugerville Hendrickson won 5224. But the Chargers took the lead for good late in the third quarter, again pulling through a tense fourth quarter to win 45-43.
Ogbevire closes a stellar career at the state tournament. She led the way at the regional tournament with 22 points against Pflugerville and 23, along with 10 rebounds, against Hendrickson.
The Chargers take four seniors to state, including Kennedy Hill, Daniela Klein and Ava Favakeh.
Lopez and Jada Morgan are the juniors, both starters and key frontcourt players. Lopez totaled 26 points, 15 rebounds and six assists at the regional, with Morgan adding 16 rebounds and four steals.
Ruke Ogbevire, Chloe Howe, Campbell Hill, Kinzie Searcy and Sophia Semmler are the sophomores. The younger Ogbevire runs the point and can also fill the stat sheet, while Semmler is often first off the bench to help in the paint and create turnovers.
The Chargers share some similarities with their semifinal opponent. A team with three seniors, Cooper made its first state appearance in 2021. The Pirates upended District 4-5A rival Lubbock Monterey, 60-52, in the Region I-5A final.
“Like Kobe (Bryant) said, it’s not over until the job’s done,” Lopez said. “We got to get this medal and go home, get the trophy and put it in our case.”