Girls regional basketball matchups have story to tell

By Travis L. Brown

Special to the Star-Telegram

Storylines abound as five Tarrant-area girls basketball teams advance to their respective regional tournaments this weekend across the state.

Can anyone hand defending Class 5A state champion Duncanville its first and most painful loss of the season, or are the Pantherettes destined for Austin yet again?

Does Mansfield Summit have what it takes to defend its 4A title despite losing key pieces from last year’s team?

Will 3A Region I pair two area teams both ranked in the top 3 in the state?

5A Region I

Duncanville, the state’s top-ranked 5A team, meets No. 10 Arlington Bowie for the second time this season in the Region I semifinal Friday at Wilkerson-Greines Activity Center. Duncanville dominated the first matchup in November, 66-32, not allowing Bowie to score more than nine points in a quarter. Both teams have seven common opponents this season, with Bowie going 5-3 against those teams with losses to Mansfield Timberview, Cedar Hill and Flower Mound Marcus. Look out for Duncanville star Ariel Atkins to go off again on Bowie after scoring a game-high 24 in their first meeting.

Flower Mound Marcus and Lubbock Coronado also faced off once before, with Coronado edging Marcus 33-31 at the Frisco ISD Tip-Off Classic early in the season.

Should Marcus advance, it has faced both Duncanville and Arlington Bowie, losing to the Pantherettes 61-45 and beating Bowie 35-45.

4A Region I

District 7-4A champion and state No. 14 Aledo moves off a decisive 55-37 victory over Granbury to face No. 15 Canyon at The Coliseum in Snyder. Both teams faced Fort Worth Trimble Tech this season with different outcomes. Aledo dropped their first district game 50-42 to Tech, but rallied early in February for a 48-40 win in the regular-season finale. Canyon faced Tech once, winning 48-46 in Fort Worth.

Fort Worth Dunbar shares no opponents with El Paso Hanks, but continues to ride great luck after narrowly beating Wichita Falls in bi-district and barely edging Waco 57-56 in the regional quarterfinals.

Previous matchups abound in region finals possibilities. Dunbar lost to Aledo 64-49 in the first game of the season and Dunbar lost to Canyon’s district rival Amarillo Palo Duro 76-53, but after an early district loss to Palo Duro, Canyon claimed a 49-44 victory in the final game of the season.

4A Region II

Last year’s 4A state champion, Mansfield Summit, enters the regional semifinal at Garland ISD’s Curtis Culwell Center the underdog again No. 2 Dallas Lincoln. The teams have just one common opponent, The Colony, which Lincoln ousted from the playoffs 72-50 in the regional quarterfinals. Summit did not have the same luck, dropping a close one 45-42 to The Colony on Nov. 29.

Junior Keanna Kelly leads Summit in scoring, averaging 10.2 points per game and scored nine against The Colony, behind team leader Destiny Strange’s 12.

Red Oak and No. 9 Frisco Liberty have three common opponents — South Garland, McKinney North and Frisco Centennial — all of which registered wins for both teams.

Should Red Oak and Mansfield Summit both advance, the region final would pair two District 15-4A rivals. Red Oak won the first game 45-40, but dropped the second 37-34. Red Oak already faced a district opponent in Arlington Seguin in the regional quarterfinals.

3A Region I

No. 3 Kennedale hopes to make the jump to state this season after losing to the eventual 3A state champion Abilene Wylie in the regional finals in 2012. They will face Lubbock Cooper in the regional semis, which will be a home game for Cooper at Texas Tech’s United Spirit Arena. Neither team has common opponents this season, but Kennedale did win the playoff matchup last season 69-47 over Cooper.

Should Kennedale advance, there is a possibility of a rematch against nearby No. 1 Stephenville, the first of which ended in a 73-52 Kennedale loss.

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