As you sit in traffic on Friday morning, the Class 1A-Division II girls' semifinalists will be getting ready to play for a spot in the state championship game on Saturday. The 1A-II semifinals begin at 8:30 AM on Friday.
Here's a sneak peek...
NECHES (35-2, Region III) vs TURKEY VALLEY (26-5, Region II)
Neches is approximately 110 miles southeast of Dallas on US Hwy 175 in northeast Texas (roughly midway between Palestine and Jacksonville on US Hwy 79); Turkey Valley is in Turkey TX, which is in the Panhandle approximately 105 miles northeast of Lubbock, 45 miles west of Childress and 165 miles west of Lawton, OK.
Everything you need to know about Neches is found in a tune-up game they scheduled following the end of their undefeated District 24-1A-II championship season. With a 31-1 record, a 27-game winning streak on the line and the playoffs right around the corner, head coach Andy Snider scheduled a tune-up game against Class 3A Bullard. Not another 1A or even 2A school—a 3A school.
Neches wasn’t scared to lay all of that on the line.
It would make a nice story to say that the Lady Tigers beat Bullard and used that as motivation for their playoff run, but they lost, 60-44. But, if they weren’t equal to the task of defeating a 3A team, Neches has certainly proven to be capable of beating any other 1A school they play.
Their only other loss this season was during an opening-weekend tournament to an AAU travel squad disguised as a school called God’s Academy out of the Dallas area.
Maybe they’re too young to comprehend fear. The Neches roster is comprised of a freshman, five sophomores and two seniors. Led by sophomore spark plug point guard Roddrika Patton, the Lady Tigers return to the state tournament for the second consecutive year.
Last year, as a freshman, Patton put on a show in the state semifinal against Leggett that created a whole new crop of fans in the Erwin Center. She scored 17 points and had 11 steals in a 71-60 win.
Neches lost the championship game to Roby, 44-34, but left the impression they might be back—and soon.
Their return engagement begins Friday morning against surprise Region II winners, Turkey Valley. The Patriots, who were the third place finishers in District 11-1A-II, defeated defending champion Roby last weekend to advance. Neches is the lone district champion among the 1A-Division II semifinalists.
Turkey Valley enters the weekend on a 10-game winning streak. With four seniors and three juniors on the roster, they would appear, on paper, to have the experience edge over Neches. And, their roster is deeper (14 players) and Neches’ (eight players).
But Neches has last year’s tournament experience. Turkey Valley’s last tournament appearance was in 1974.
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MCLEAN (28-4, Region I) vs LEGGETT (26-9, Region IV)
McLean is 75 miles east of Amarillo on I-40 (approximately 185 miles west of Oklahoma City, OK); Leggett is approximately 10 miles north-northeast of Livingston on US Hwy 59 (approximately 85 miles north-northeast of Houston).
The McLean Lady Tigers played in the very first UIL girls’ state championship game in 1951. They haven’t been back to the tournament since, a total of 59 years. Suffice it to say that things are different.
If the 2010 squad is to return to the championship round, they will have to defeat a semifinal opponent that is just 364 days removed from its previous tournament experience.
The Leggett Pirates, like Neches, return for the second consecutive year to the tournament. This season, Leggett was the runner-up in District 25-1A-II behind Goodrich. But the Pirates (26-9) defeated Goodrich, 70-68, in the Region IV championship on Saturday to earn the return trip to Austin.
Four of the seven Leggett players who played in the semifinal loss against Neches returned to this year’s team, including leading scorer Brittney Jefferson, who scored 22 points in last year’s loss.
Leggett is the closest remaining school to the metropolitan Houston area. At 66.5 points per game, they are also the highest-scoring team in the bracket. However, they also allow the most points, 53.6 per game.
McLean (District 4-1A-II runner-up), averaging 56.5 per game and allowing 40.5, likes to play a step slower than Leggett. The lower the score at the end of one quarter, the more likely it is that McLean is controlling the tempo.
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