Share
Arlington Martin jumped out to a quick start and then held on to defeat Keller 35-28 in their Class 5A bi-district playoff meeting Monday at Fort Worth Nolan Catholic High School.
With seven straight wins, the Warriors (18-13) will face the winner of tonight's matchup between Lubbock Coronado and El Paso El Dorado.
Martin scored the first seven points and never trailed. The Warriors held Keller (19-15) without a field goal in the first quarter and led 15-4 in the second period. The Indians fought back, though, and ended the first half on a 9-2 run to pull within 17-13.
Keller senior Rani Parkinson hit a 3-pointer early in the fourth quarter that tied the game for the first time, but the Warriors hit free throws down the stretch to ice the victory.
Emily Slagle led the Warriors with 14 points and was an integral part of Martin's victory. Coach Brooke Brittain said it's nothing new for Slagle.
"Her role all year long has been team leader, team captain," Brittain said. "She's just a phenomenal kid. She's been on varsity since she was a freshman and she's a junior team captain for a reason."
In December, Keller beat Martin 46-33, but Slagle feels the Warriors have grown up since then, and that showed down the stretch.
Parkinson led Keller with nine points while Jen Lutz added seven.
Mary King added eight points for Martin, while Lexus Weber chipped in six.
We welcome your comments on this story, but please be civil. Do not use profanity, hate speech, threats, personal abuse, images, internet links or any device to draw undue attention. Comments deemed inappropriate will be removed and repeated abusers will be banned. NOTE: If you log in using your Twitter account, your comments will be signed using the name on your Twitter profile, NOT your Twitter user name. Read our full comment policy.
Live scores from a full slate of games, plus news and videos from our high school experts. Right on your phone.
