Two buzzer beaters deny Dallas Kimball state title win over Beaumont United in 5A final
Terrance Arceneaux is going to haunt Dallas Kimball for awhile after his game-winning three-pointer helped Beaumont United beat the Knights, 71-70 in overtime of the UIL Class 5A boys basketball state championship game Friday night at the Alamodome.
Kimball (26-9) came up short of winning the program’s seventh title and first since 2014.
United (31-0) wins its first. The school opened in 2018.
The Knights trailed by 11 in the fourth quarter, but pulled within eight on a jumper by Chauncey Gibson with 5:07 left in regulation. Arterio Morris trimmed the lead to 58-54 with a triple at the 3:59 mark. Kyron Henderson’s tip-in cut it to two and another Morris three gave Kimball the lead at 59-58 with 2:35 to go.
Arceneaux and Jayden Blair traded baskets, but Deonte Greer went 1 of 2 at the free-throw line that gave Kimball a 64-61 lead with 20 seconds left. Arceneaux hit a three to beat the buzzer to force the game into overtime at 64-64. Both teams made a pair of free throws to tie it at 66 and then traded layups from Kendris Henry and Jerqualen Parks at 68-68 with 1:18 left in overtime.
United missed a chance to go back in front and Parks got the defensive rebound. Gibson missed a three and Blair got the offensive board and put-back to give the Knights a 70-68 lead with 27 seconds left in the extra frame.
United inbounded the ball with eight seconds left and Arceneaux launched the game-winning three at the top of the key with less than three seconds left.
He was voted MVP with 24 points on 9 of 19 shooting, seven rebounds and nine blocks. His nine blocks are tied for second most by a single player at a state game in UIL history (any classification).
Kimball, which was making its 12th state appearance, trailed by as many as seven in the first quarter, but kept it close. United’s Wesley Yates III beat the buzzer and the Timberwovles led 19-14. But the T-Wolves started to heat up in the second quarter and led 37-20 on a Clarence Paiya layup in the fast break with 1:44 left.
However, the Knights closed the quarter strong with an 8-0 run. Back-to-back threes by Gibson and Blair cut the lead to 37-26 and Parks’ layup with eight seconds remaining got Kimball within single digits at 37-28.
United got it back up to 13 at 41-28 on a Trealyn Porchia tip-in with 6:20 left in the third. Kimball chipped away with back-to-back triples by Parks and Morris to cut it back to 41-38 with 4:33 to go.
Kimball made it a one-point game, but the T-Wolves extended it to 47-40 following a Porchia jumper two minutes later. Both teams went scoreless for the next two minutes, but combined for eight points in the final 54 seconds. United led 51-44 after three.
Both teams made 27 field goals, but struggled at the charity stripe. Kimball went 9 of 18 at the line; 13 of 24 for United. Kimball out-rebounded United 54-37 led by Henderson’s 16 boards. He added five blocks, three assists and 15 points before fouling out early in overtime.
Morris led the Knights with 19 points on 6 of 15 shooting and four rebounds and three assists.
Parks and Gibson added 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Yates III and Porchia each had eight boards.
Yates scored 16 points while Porchia added 17 for the Timberwolves.
