And now they’re just one victory away from a trip to the Class 2A girls basketball state tournament for the first time since 1998-99, when the Lady Eagles were state finalists.
Salado didn’t allow a field goal for the final seven minutes, 27 seconds and Hadley Joiner and Brennan Boydstun made key baskets down the stretch as the Lady Eagles rallied to edge Vanderbilt Industrial 44-41 on Friday night in a Region IV semifinal.
“At the end we just kept hustling to pull it out,” said Boydstun, who scored eight points, including a basket with 1:32 to go that gave Salado a five-point cushion, and defended the final attempt by the Lady Cobras (29-5).
“It’s always been our dream to go to state, so hopefully this is the year. Since we were in the fourth grade, everybody has been wanting us to go to state, so we’re trying to do it for everyone.”
Said a relieved Jenna Sebek, who led the Lady Eagles with 14 points: “We just keep playing our game.”
Salado (26-9) advanced to the Region IV final, its deepest playoff run since 1999-2000, at noon today against Weimar (32-6), which pulled away to beat Hitchcock 56-40 in the first semifinal. Chelsea Soto scored 20 points and Jocelyn Jarmon had 18 for Weimar’s Lady Cats.
“Game after game after game in these playoffs they have executed,” said Salado first-year coach Randy Henderson, whose team rallied to nip Hempstead 43-42 on Tuesday. “They executed exactly what I said in the timeout (with 9.8 seconds left in the fourth quarter) and they executed exactly what I said during the timeout between the third- and fourth-quarter break. And we outplayed them in the fourth quarter.”
The Lady Eagles trailed 39-34 with 7:27 to go before they went on a 10-0 run during a 6-minute span.
Joiner (13 points) hit a jump shot and Sebek drained a 3-pointer from the top of the key to tie the game at 39 with 5:30 to go.
On an inbound play, Joiner made a 3 from the right wing to give Salado a 42-39 lead with 2:13 left. On the next possession, Boydstun scored inside for a 44-39 lead.
Industrial’s Taylor Milberger, who made all four shots and scored nine of her team-high 13 points in the first quarter, made two free throws to draw the Lady Cobras within 44-41 with 31.9 seconds left.
After Salado’s Billi Pipes missed the front end of a one-and-one free throw situation, Industrial set up the potential game-tying 3-point shot with 9.8 seconds to go.
Boydstun was all over Courtney Gabrysch, whose 3 came up well short. Danielle Clowers grabbed the offensive rebound but missed a shot inside, and the Lady Cobras’ season was over.
The Lady Eagles allowed only four points and forced Industrial into 1-of-11 shooting in the fourth.
“We started shifting faster and were hustling more,” Boydstun said.
Added Sebek: “We were covering each other a lot better and helping more.”
The Lady Cobras made seven of 12 shots in the first quarter and held a 20-12 lead midway through the second before Salado’s defense clamped down. Industrial went 10½ minutes without a field and shot just 6-of-30 from the field in the final three quarters.
“After that first-quarter blitz when Milberger didn’t hit the rim, much less miss, we did a much better job,” said Henderson, whose team clawed back from the eight-point deficit to trail 23-21 at halftime. “We could have rebounded better, but our defensive rotation was much better.
“At halftime I said we survived their best shot,” he added. “They hit us with everything they had and it was a good one. We ended the quarter on a run, got back in striking distance and from there the girls played like they were capable.”
cmeister@temple-telegram.com
