By Michael Adams
Austin Sports Journal
SAN ANTONIO – The rim at the Alamodome might as well as been the size of a dime on Saturday.
At least it must have felt that way for the Liberty Hill Lady Panthers, who made 1 of 31 (5%) shot attempts in the second quarter and fell behind by 21 points by the end of the first half.
It proved to be too much to overcome for Liberty Hill (36-5), as Lubbock Monterey cruised to a 64-35 win in the UIL girls basketball Class 5A Division II state championship game.
The Lady Panthers didn’t have a single player score in double digits.
Senior Gabby Mundy had an uncharacteristic day, scoring five points while going 2 of 14 from field-goal range. Senior Evie Bruce scored seven points and was 2 of 13 from field goal range and 0 of 3 from behind the three-point line.
Junior Regagan Robins was Liberty Hill’s top scorer with nine points.
Going up against the top player in the country
Lubbock Monterey guard Aailyah Chavez, the top-ranked player in the nation by 24/7 sports for the class of 2025, was the main event Saturday.
Fans from all over the state made the trip to San Antonio to see the undecided senior in action. Chavez will make her college decision later this month, with Texas and South Carolina among the top contenders to land the Lady Plainsmen’s top star.
LIberty Hill did a good job containing Chavez, despite giving up a game-high 19 points to championship game’s most valuable player.
Monterey forward Ari Johnson was the difference maker, scoring 12 points while grabbing nine rebounds and blocking five Liberty Hill shots.
Liberty Hill’s rough day
The Lady Panthers shot 19.7% from field-goal range, but did have a strong start.
Liberty Hill had a spark in the third quarter with a 10-0 run with four points coming from junior Reagan Robbins and a three-pointer each from Lindsey Bullock and Renee Stemmons. The run pulled the Lady Panthers to within 16 points, but that’s as close as they would get.
Liberty Hill’s rough day from the floor continued in the fourth quarter. The Lady Panthers made 2 of 16 (12.5%) field goal attempts in the fourth quarter as Monterey pulled away to claim the school’s second girls basketball state championship.
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