Lipan, Nazareth use suffocating defenses to set up meeting for Class 1A state title
CLASS 1A STATE SEMIFINALS
Lipan 33, Chireno 24
Junior post Maggie Peacock scored 11 of her game-high 16 points in the first quarter as No. 3 Lipan advanced to its fourth state title game in eight trips with a 33-24 win over No. 20 Chireno in the UIL state tournament opener Thursday at the Alamodome.
Chireno (27-10) pulled within 26-24 on a pair of free throws by Nelly Vargas with 3:18 left in the game.
But Lipan (34-3) used its height advantage to suffocate the Owls the rest of the way. The Lady Indians outrebound Chireno 38-24. Peacock, who scored all of the Lady Indians’ points in the first quarter, had five rebounds and three blocks.
“I think it was adrenaline for all of us,” Peacock said. “We were all super excited, we just had to let our nerves out.”
Taylor Clark chipped in seven points, eight rebounds and five steals for Lipan, which led 11-4 after the opening period. The Lady Indians return to the championship game since winning the title in 2016.
“Everyone wants to end their season at the Alamodome and with a win,” said Lipan coach Amber Branson, whose squad held Chireno to 1 of 10 shooting in the first quarter. “We jump out as hard as we can in the beginning. Thankful to have that 11-4 lead to build upon. We knew they weren’t going away. We had to battle. They’re a very talented team.”
Jessie Durrett had nine points, nine rebounds and two steals to lead Chireno, which was making its second trip to state.
Nazareth 43, Veribest 23
Veribest, making its first appearance at state, scored first on a basket by Cora Blackwell with 7:08 in the first quarter.
It would be the only time the Falcons led.
No. 1 Nazareth, one of the most storied programs in the state, scored the next 16 points to close the opening period, then extended its run to 21-2 in the second quarter.
The Swiftettes, at state for a record 29th time, led 28-8 at halftime in a total domination effort over Veribest, 43-23, in the second semifinal game on Thursday at the Alamodome.
They were without leading scorer, senior forward and Lubbock Christian bound Cambrie Heiman (leg injury), who was named 1A title game MVP last season.
“These girls weren’t fazed by the environment and treated it like any other game,” Nazareth coach Eric Schilling said. “We had 7, 8, 9 players going today and when you can do that, it’s huge. We were able to score from all over the floor early on in the game which really calmed us down.”
Nazareth, which led 38-14 entering the fourth, got a game-high 13 points from Addie Dyer, who went 5 of 9 from the field. Merry Gerber added eight points and Amy Schilderink chipped in seven and seven rebounds.
The Swiftettes outrebounded the Falcons 31-14 and held Veribest to 8 of 27 shooting.
“Another thing we talked about was crashing the boards and we gave ourselves a lot of second opportunities which put us in position to score early,” Schilling said.
Nazareth (30-8) faces Lipan in the 1A championship game at 8:30 a.m. Saturday.
The Swiftettes are looking to win title No. 24. They improved to 48-7 all-time at the state tournament, a state record for wins. They’re 10-1 in title games since 2000, with their only loss coming against Lipan in the 2016 final, 54-43.
Nazareth has won the last three state titles and six of last seven.
Return to dfwvarsity for results from the Class 3A semifinals
