Cedar Park 59, College Station 31
Gisella Maul had a tough outing for Cedar Park with the College Station defense playing tight but Rice commit Shelby Hayes stepped up.
The junior forward finished with a game high 22 points, 13 rebounds and four-for-four from the line as Cedar Park advanced to the state title game in a 59-31 victory that looked tougher than it did on paper.
“It’s all about stepping up and seizing the opportunity,” Hayes said. “I feel like me and Gisella work really well together along with my other teammates. Working inside-out really opened things up. Our guards were not knocking shots down on the outside and that opened me up in the middle and do what I normally do and do my work. When they collapsed on me, I made a pass out to shooters like Molly [Ly], Reece [Prater-Miller] and Megan [Woods]. I felt like they put me in the best position to succeed tonight and seize my opportunity.”
College Station had once played against the Lady Timberwolves, winners of 61 straight games, but planned to contain Maul and got her in foul trouble early with two quick fouls in the first quarter and seeing limited playing time in the first half.
“Cedar Park does what they do,” College Station head coach DeAnna Doles said. “We were having two helpers to try to come over and help out on her [Maul]. She’s a load on the inside and there’s a reason that she’s one of the top players in the state. She’s really good. I’d thought that [Jayden] Davenport and [Jaeden] McMillan battled on the inside possession after possession. They didn’t surprise us in what they did.”
“One thing I learned from the season is I just get fouled,” Maul said. “I feel like no one can really guard me unless they are fouling me. One thing that is telling me is to stay mentally tough because it’s almost expected to get fouled almost every single play. I really just have to stay in my head and not let them get in my head. It’s all about staying mentally tough.”
The Cedar Park defense played a key role in extending their lead, allowing two points in the second quarter which was the key push to picking up the victory.
Frisco Memorial 59, Amarillo 48
Jazmyn Lott, the UNLV signee, made an immediate impact along with sophomore Brynn Lusby closing the game for the Lady Warriors en route to a 59-48 victory over perennial power Amarillo High to punch a ticket to their first ever state championship game in school history.
“I took it upon myself to keep the team going because I’m their motor,” Lott said, who finished with a double-double of 24 points and 10 rebounds, which was a game-high. “Everything flows through me usually, so I knew that if I gone downhill, everyone else would follow.”
“She has a will that refuses to lose,” Frisco Memorial head coach Rochelle Vaughn said. “Her teammates embody that as well and picked it up with her attacking [the basket]. We told our kids that based on what Amarillo was playing, that we were going to have timely threes and Angel [Alexander] stepped up and did a good job of hitting those threes when she did.”
Busby was the key in closing the game out with a five-point lead heading into the final quarter of play, as the sophomore forward scored eight of her 10 points in the final quarter.
Frisco Memorial will look to make history in winning their first state title in program history but will have a tough task in Cedar Park.
