Second-ranked Grace Prep knocks off Colleyville Covenant to clinch semifinal berth
The Arlington Grace Prep boys basketball team rallied back from an early 10-point deficit and held off Colleyville Covenant, 74-66, at Brewer High School Saturday in the TAPPS 4A regional to advance to the state semifinal.
No. 2 Grace Prep (22-1) has reached the state final four for the third time in last four years and will face No. 3 Lubbock Trinity (24-6) Tuesday in Abilene.
But things did not start well for Grace Prep on Saturday. No. 4 Covenant (14-7) jumped out to a 13-3 advantage, led by Jayce Wells’ eight points. Wells converted an Austin Scheets’ assist and hit two three-pointers.
Then Lions began to chip away. Ajani Jamison and Rob Moreland each knocked down a three to make it 15-9, and by the end of the first quarter Grace Prep was only down 17-14.
“We weren’t doing a good job attacking early, we were settling for the jump shot,” said Lions coach Josh Duke. “There were lots of chances for us to quit and bury ourselves early, but my kids fought back. I’m so proud of them.”
Covenant’s Caleb Turner and Grace Prep’s Moreland traded threes and Turner’s short jumper gave the Cougars a 28-23 edge in the second quarter. The Lions connected on two more big shots, a straightaway three from Jamison and Moreland’s third trey to take their first lead of the game at 29-28, 3:10 before halftime.
The two teams combined for 14 points in the next two minutes and Auri Bidgoli’s layup late sent Grace Prep into intermission with a 39-35 lead.
“They started to play better defense and picked up their defensive intensity,” Covenant coach Steve Turner said. “Those shots we made early weren’t quite falling for us in the second quarter, but credit Grace Prep for doing a good job on defense.
“It got harder to knock down the open shots and there weren’t many open shots after the first quarter, but I’m proud of my guys and the effort they gave today.”
The Cougars tied the game at 44 in the third quarter on Turner’s three and a second-chance bucket by Enow Etta. Covenant regained the lead at 46-45 with a layup by Wells, but Justin McNelkan hit back-to-back threes to give Grace Prep a 51-46 lead at the 3:15 mark.
“We’ve been facing adversity all year long. We just had to get back to doing what we do best and it was just gravy from there,” McNelkan said. “We trust each other and we don’t get too shaken up. We just had to stay true to ourselves. We’re blessed to be playing.”
Grace Prep built up its largest lead at 59-50 early in the fourth before Covenant went on an 8-0 run to pull within one. Etta was fouled on a made layup, Turner made a pair of free throws and Caleb Bunch hit a short jumper. Turner’s drive to the basket made it a one-point game, 59-58, with five minutes to play.
After Covenant missed its chance to take the lead on a pair of free throws, Grace Prep went back up by six with 2:44 left thanks to five points from Moreland, who hit five threes and scored 19 points.
“I called a timeout when they pulled within 59-58 and said basketball is a game of runs and you haven’t made yours yet,” Duke said. “We weathered their run, came out and Rob hit a big three for us that gave us a lot of confidence.”
“We picked up the energy,” Moreland added. “I’m a shooter. Coach tells me when I get the ball to let it fly. I’m just doing my part.”
Turner led all scorers with 26 points, including 12 in the second quarter. Scheets added 14 and Wells chipped in 12.
“They fought until the very end. That’s been their character all season. They weren’t going to quit,” Steve Turner said. “Grace Prep is a good basketball team. They shot well from the free-throw line and we couldn’t quite match them.”
Grace Prep extended its winning streak to 15 games. Its only loss was a 47-45 loss to Nolan Catholic on Dec. 8.
The Lions hit 11 three-pointers and went 20 of 27 at the free-throw line. McNelkan had a team-high 20 points and Jamison and Bidgoli added 18 and 12, respectively.
“My first year here, these guys welcomed me with open arms,” Duke said. “We got burned in this round last year so the seniors didn’t want that to happen again. They love each other, love the school and they’re fun to coach.”
This story was originally published March 7, 2021 at 11:00 AM.
