Bulldogs in the Final 4...

I guess since I'm more than a month behind I really need to start catching up... All year long the Wylie boys had shown some real signs of greatness as a team and their run through the playoffs was really proving what the team had already knew. During the regional tournament they beat two really good teams, including Kennedale, who had been ranked #3 in the state. The Hirchi team they beat to qualify for the trip to Austin many said were even more talented than the higher ranked Kennedale team.

However, the team they would face in the state semifinals, Dallas Madison, was coming in looking and playing like world beaters. In the first quarter of the game Wylie was doing a real good job of playing their game and keeping it real close. At the end of the quarter, though, Madison hit a big three and in the second quarter they blew it wide open. Then, things didn't get any better in the third quarter. Madison ended up blowing out Wylie in a game that never even looked close. It was a sad ending to the season of the best Wylie team I've seen step on the court, they were just outmatched by a much more talented Madison team, there's no shame in that.

I've always felt if I were in a game like this I'd rather get beaten by 20 points than 2. When you lose by that much, you've lost to the better team, there's no question, when you lose close, you're always questioning yourself looking back at a few plays that could've gone either way trying to figure out what you could have done different. And two days later, Madison beat Houston Yates to win the championship, there's no shame in losing to the better team, especially when they're the best team in the state.

Playing for the Ring...

After their win on Friday, Merkel was set to play Brock for the state championship on Saturday. Brock was ranked #1 in the state and Merkel #2. Merkel was in their first trip to state and Brock was going for their fifth straight championship. And, I hadn't realized it until after Merkel had won the night before and the reporter I went to the game with and I were talking but the last team to win a state title that wasn't Brock was Jim Ned, back in 2008. So, would it only be fitting if Merkel won it and brought the Class 2A state title back to west Texas?

Well, at the start of the game it was close, both teams traded the lead, played really tight defense and was looking like the game was going to be a dogfight. This we along for the first three quarters with the back and forth. Then, in the fourth quarter Brock took things over and Merkel went cold shooting the ball almost at the exact same time. Merkel was still playing really tight defense which was keeping them hanging on by a thread, but their cold shooting kept moving things apart. So, for the fifth straight year Brock won the state title, it was a really good for the first three quarters though.

Merkel's 1st Trip to State...

After a thrilling and dominating performance in the regional tournament the week before, the Merkel Lady Badgers were punching their ticket to Austin for the state tournament for the first time in the school's history. The team had been ranked in the top 2 in the state in pretty much every poll of the year. And, they were coming into Austin with only one loss. So, it's not like it was undeserving, but the Erwin Center is a totally different place than a high school gym and the team they were playing, Poth, was just full of state experience. I think I've seen them in Austin pretty much every trip I've made down there. The only thing I'd never seen them do is win.

Merkel came out looking like they had an obvious case of nerves, but they were able to put that to sleep pretty quick and took a lead that they never gave up. Merkel's two big post players dominated the game and Poth just couldn't deal with the big six footers in the middle. The problem the post players posed gave the guards plenty of room to work and and either get open from the bigs being double-teamed or favorable 1-on-1 match ups. The combination of the two gave Merkel a win and a spot for a chance at a state title in the teams first trip to Austin.

Playoff Doubleheader...

I got sent to Big Spring to shoot what looked to be a couple of decent basketball games. Jim Ned was playing Tornillo in the first game, then Wylie was taking on Seminole in the nightcap. Of course things didn't quite turn out the way I was expecting them. I was thinking Jim Ned would take care of Tornillo rather easily, while Wylie would have a little bit of a hard time dealing with Seminole, just based on their past.

However, Jim Ned came out of the gate looking pretty good, like I was going to be right. Though, Tornillo to their credit came scratching and crawling back and making it a really good game until the fourth quarter. Either the photo gods decided to smile on me for a little bit or I've just been getting lucky over the last couple weeks being in the right position to get some decent shots and from the right angle to get some nice dunk shots. And that's just what happened at the start of the fourth quarter. Jim Ned's big man, Will Bryant, got a nice pass off a steal and threw down a great dunk, which pretty much turned the tide of the game for good. That seems to happen a lot in high school basketball, one big dunk can totally deflate a team and turn the tides.

In the second game, I was expecting Wylie to struggle withe Seminole's zone defense and 6'7 big man. However, the Bulldogs just came out looking great. Their coach had a great game plan and did a really nice job of rotating in a bunch of smaller, but tough big men to constantly be on Seminole's guy. Plus Wylie was doing a great job shooting and hitting 3's from outside Seminole's zone. This game never looked close and it really wasn't.

State Bound Badgers...

I was closely following Merkel's game the night before via a coworker's Twitter feed, wondering if I'd be coming to cover them in the regional championship game. The plans was if Merkel won their game I'd spend the night in Lubbock after the Wylie game and head to Midland to shoot the game the next morning. The game the night before was close and Merkel won it by the skin of their teeth. So, given how good Wall has been in the past I was expecting another close game. Plus, I was excited to be shooting the game in the Chaparral Center. It's a great place for a basketball game. A nice arena, with plenty of light and for the 2A regionals there is always a good crowd for the games as well.

When I got to the arena the reporter that was there told me Merkel had gotten to the arena about three hours early and had a practice before the game. Well, from the start of the game it was clear that the early practice was a good idea since Merkel jumped out to a quick lead. Their guards were handling the ball well and shooting well. Both of those combined with a really good defense it was clear that Merkel was serious about punching their ticket to Austin. Between the great playing and the great defense that Merkel plays every game it was clear who was going to win this game. It made for both some nice action shots as well as a nice celebration for the #2 ranked team in the state, who would be making their first trek to the state tournament.