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Girls basketball 3A, others playoff basketball roundup: Kennedale, Triple-A Academy bound for state

LUBBOCK — Kennedale watched its opponents cut down the nets at regional finals the last three years. Autummn Williams decided it was Kennedale’s turn Saturday.

Williams scored 16 points and put her team ahead for good on a leaning runner with 45 seconds remaining as Kennedale beat state No. 1-ranked Stephenville, 48-45, in the Class 3A Region I final at United Spirit Arena.

Kennedale (30-6), No. 3 in the final 3A state rankings, advanced to next week’s state tournament in Austin. The UIL will announce the pairings for the state semifinals Sunday.

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Kennedale forced 24 Stephenville turnovers, including three in the final two minutes. There were nine lead changes, and the teams were never separated by more than five points.

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Williams’ runner gave Kennedale a 43-41 lead, and Jasmyn Poe and McKinley Bostad each hit a pair of free throws in the final 10 seconds.

Stephenville (28-9) had a final possession with 3.6 seconds remaining, but Dally Friedrich could not get a desperation shot over the outstretched arms of Travanti Downes.

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Downes scored 11 points, and Poe and Bostad each added nine for Kennedale. Downes and Poe were all-tournament selections.

Breyana Diaz scored 12 points for Stephenville, while Sheridan Stokes and Tiara Green each had 10.

Brad Keith

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Triple A Academy 39, Goldthwaite 27: In its first year as a UIL program, Triple A Academy advanced to the state tournament by winning the Class A Division I Region II final at Abilene Christian.

Triple A (28-5), a charter school, trailed 18-17 at halftime before outscoring Goldthwaite, 22-9, in the second half. Triple A’s Amber Browning matched Goldthwaite’s second-half team total, scoring nine of her game-high 15 points after halftime.

Browning, coming off a 31-point performance in Friday’s regional semifinal, had seven rebounds and five steals Saturday. Kessha Bracy added nine points for Triple A, and Imari Bell had eight points and seven rebounds.