Mansfield Legacy girls see magical playoff run end against Frisco Liberty

Mansfield Legacy rallied all season long, but on Friday night the Class 5A state runners-up from last season made a few more crucial plays down the stretch.

Frisco Liberty got back-to-back steals and fast-break layups with 35.5 seconds left and the Redhawks went on to end Legacy’s magical run 50-44 in a 5A Region II semifinal at Curtis Culwell Center.

The Redhawks (31-6) moved on to the regional final at 1 p.m. Saturday in Garland.

Legacy’s Cyliest Smith gave the Broncos a 44-42 lead with 1:22 left, but Rebecca Lescay and Sydney Keller forced two turnovers and Liberty went back ahead 46-44 with 35.5 to play.

Lescay, who has signed with Tulsa, scored a game-high 21 points with six rebounds, three assists and four steals.

After the Broncos got within 27-23 midway through the third quarter, Liberty scored the next five points for a 32-23 lead. The Redhawks extended the lead to 36-25 with 2:49 left in the frame before Legacy scored eight of the final nine points.

Freshman guard Harmoni Turner hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to cut Liberty’s lead to 37-33 going into the fourth, and older sister senior Lyric Turner’s corner 3-pointer made it 37-36 early in the final period.

Lyric Turner had back-to-back steals to tie the game at 38-38, and then gave the Broncos a 41-40 lead with 3:30 to go, their first lead since 9-7 in the first quarter.

Harmoni Turner, who also beat the buzzer to end the first half, had a team-high 19 points. Lyric Turner added 12 points while the sisters combined for 11 steals.

The Broncos (24-12) wrapped up their best season with their first regional tournament appearance in program history.

This story was originally published February 24, 2017 at 8:25 PM with the headline "Mansfield Legacy girls see magical playoff run end against Frisco Liberty."