Nazareth 48, Westbrook 17
The defense in the second quarter came up huge for the Swiftettes en route to another state championship game appearance with a 48-17 victory over Westbrook.
Westbrook, which made their first state semifinal appearance, ends their season with a 26-5 mark in a historic season.
“It feels always feels great,” Nazareth head coach Eric Schilling said. “These kids worked their tails off to get to this point and it’s great seeing it all coming together.”
Westbrook kept within striking distance in the first four minutes of the game with their defense but Nazareth made adjustments.
The Swifettes used their length in a full court trap press that saw Nazareth ride a 11-1 run to start the second quarter, in credit to the defense, which also shut down Westbrook in the third quarter.
“They [the team] stepped up to the challenge,” Schilling said. “We did not have a good third quarter, scoring only three points in the previous game and I challenged them. Just like anytime, they stepped up.”
Nazareth advances to the state title game where they will face a familiar foe in Dodd City as they look for title No. 25.
Dodd City 65, Neches 20
The long-range ball was key, hitting five three-point shots in the first half, as Dodd City en route to a 65-20 victory, punching their ticket to their fourth state championship game appearance in five years.
In the win, Kylee Graves led all scorers with 21 points. Senior forward Journie Hilliard added 14 and Dani Baccus tallied 13 points in the victory. Standout guard Rion Baccus left the game in the first quarter with an injury and did not return to the game.
The defense also shut down Neches in the third quarter, only allowing three points to give the Lady Hornets a 47-19 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
