Boswell takes down Lancaster to advance to its first girls basketball state title game
The Fort Worth Boswell girls basketball team has finally reached the top of the mountain.
It had been since the 1976-77 season that the Pioneers had gone this deep in the state playoffs, but this Boswell team will make history after defeating Lancaster 48-32 in a Class 6A Division 2 state semifinal on Tuesday, Feb. 25, at The Colony High School.
Boswell (38-2), ranked No. 2 in the state in Class 6A according to the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches, will play for its first girls basketball state championship when the Pioneers meet No. 9 Missouri City Hightower (34-5) at 5 p.m. on Saturday, March 1, at the Alamodome in San Antonio. Hightower defeated No. 19 San Antonio Churchill 41-32.
“It’s so super, super, super exciting and super fantastic,” said Boswell junior guard Salena Carrasco, who led the Pioneers with 14 points including hitting four of four free throws on a double technical with 51 seconds left in the game. “Today is my birthday so a lot of pressure was on me. The second I saw the first one go in, I took a deep breath, and I was like, I had this.”
Boswell led 3-1 before Lancaster’s Mckenzie White hit a pair of three-pointers around a lay-in by Kamoriya Davis that put the Tigers up 9-5 with 3:10 left in the first quarter.
Although No. 4 Lancaster (27-6) was playing solid basketball, the Pioneers were a little sloppy to start. Boswell struggled from the field, missing close-in shots, and from the free throw line, making only 8 of 16 from the stripe in the first half.
Boswell clawed its way back and took a brief 15-13 lead when Salena Carrasco buried a three-pointer with 2:58 left in the second quarter. Lancaster led 19-18 at the intermission.
But all of that changed after the break. Boswell turned up the defensive pressure and outscored the Tigers 30-13 in the second half to pull away.
Boswell coach John Reese said that he urged his team at the half to keep the same defensive game plan but try to shut down the driving lanes to try to slow down White, who led all scorers with 23 points for Lancaster.
“We got some stops which let us get out and get going in transition ourselves,” said Reese, who will be making his first appearance as a head coach in a state title game. “We have five young ladies that can put the ball on the floor, they can catch and shoot and put pressure on the defensive end. Camille (Williams) has been here before, Syd (Sydney Durrah) has been here before, Salena (Carrasco) has been here before, and they all stepped up.”
Lancaster only made one field goal in the third quarter while Boswell was going on an 18-6 run to up the lead to 36-25 with 5:02 left in the game. Four Tiger players fouled out in the fourth quarter, including three starters starting with Davis, who left with 6:51 left in the game.
“I think defensively that we came out and did what we needed to do,” said Boswell senior guard Camille Williams, who is headed to Miami (Fla.) next season. “We were disciplined and held ourselves together. I’m just super proud of my team and I’m ready to go to state and win it all.”
Williams finished with 13 points, and Seleste Massey chipped in 12 for the Pioneers.
“I’m just blessed to be a part of this team,” said Carrasco. “It makes me emotional. To be a part of this team and to fight with this team.
“Nobody knows the workouts, and nobody knows how hard we worked for this. We were doubted so this is an amazing experience to be part of.”
Paradise, Decatur advance to state championships
Paradise (27-10) punched its ticket to the Class 3A Division II state championship with a 42-40 victory over Idalou. Paradise will face Kountze (31-3) on Friday, Feb 28, with an 11 a.m. start time at the Alamodome.
Decatur (35-2) also advanced to a state championship, securing an emphatic 53-34 victory over Mabank. Decatur will face Waco La Vega (33-6) on Friday, Feb. 28 with a 7 p.m. start time at the Alamodome.
This story was originally published February 25, 2025 at 9:39 PM.