Wall uses tough defense to halt run of five straight state titles
AUSTIN — Wall pulled off a surprise Saturday by beating defending champion Brock, 48-44, in the Class 2A state final.
Brock was trying to win a record-tying sixth consecutive state championship. Nazareth won six in a row in Class B and Class A from 1977 to 1982.
Wall (35-4) recorded five blocked shots, forced 14 turnovers and had a 24-23 rebounding advantage. Brock (35-3) took more shots from beyond the 3-point line (21) than inside it (15).
Maddi Chitsey scored 22 points, going 10-for-14 from the free throw line, and sister Bobbi Chitsey added 12 with six rebounds for Wall. The Lady Hawks built a 20-15 halftime lead and never trailed in the second half.
Wall used a tenacious matchup zone to deny Brock inside scoring opportunities, but the Lady Eagles stayed close by connecting on eight 3-pointers. Rachel Harrell led Brock with 15 points and five rebounds while Rachel Williams added 10 points.
Nazareth 82, Calvert 41: Rebekah Van Dijk had 14 points and 18 rebounds as Nazareth rolled to the 19th state championship in program history, beating Calvert for the Class A Division II title.
Nazareth (36-2) just missed the A championship game record for points scored (86), set by Sulphur Springs North Hopkins in 1958. Nazareth still scored the most points in a championship game in any class since 1983.
The 6-4 Van Dijk, who has signed with UT-Arlington, led a dominant effort on the boards as Nazareth outrebounded Calvert 63-24. Nazareth trailed 9-4 late in the first quarter before taking control with an 18-4 run.
Jaylonn Walker scored 22 points for Calvert (25-2), which shot 20 percent.
Plains 57, Kerens 44: Plains guard Daitlyne Broome scored six of her 10 points in the final 5:26 of the fourth quarter to lead the Cowgirls to their first basketball state title.
With the Class A Division I final tied at 39, Broome drained four free throws and scored on a fast-break layup as Plains (30-3) took a 45-39 lead. Plains extended its lead as Riley Earnest scored six of her game-high 17 points and Madison Davis added a basket during an 18-3 run.
Plains trailed toward the end of the third quarter but Sieanna Sosa sank three free throws to give the Cowgirls a 37-35 lead they never surrendered.
Sosa finished with 13 points while Tori Reyes had 13 rebounds for Plains. Taylor Ames led Kerens (29-5) with 11 points.
