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Girls basketball playoffs: No. 2 DeSoto routs Southlake Carroll to set up third-round classic vs. No. 1 Duncanville

Cedar Hill and Timberview girls advance; plus, see results of boys district tiebreakers.

MANSFIELD — It’s a matchup worthy of a state championship game.

But because of the way the UIL playoff brackets are drawn up, the top two girls basketball teams in the state will meet in the third round next week.

No. 2 DeSoto got a game-high 17 points from 5-7 sophomore guard Ja’Mia Harris and forced 28 turnovers to rout Southlake Carroll 65-33 on Friday and advance to the Class 6A Region I quarterfinals.

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“We came out with a lot of energy and a lot of effort, and we were flying around defensively,” said DeSoto coach Andrea Robinson, whose team opened the game on an 11-0 run and led 41-16 at halftime. “But we’ve still got a lot of things we need to work on.”

Next up for DeSoto (32-2) is No. 1 Duncanville (35-3), winner of 10 state championships. It will be the third time this season that the two nationally ranked teams have met.

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DeSoto, ranked No. 7 in the nation by MaxPreps, crushed Duncanville 68-48 on Nov. 19. Duncanville, ranked No. 6 in America, won the teams’ rematch 66-47 in the championship game of the Sandra Meadows Classic on Dec. 28 as McDonald’s All-American Deja Kelly scored a game-high 20 points.

DeSoto sustained a big loss in the last game against Duncanville, as 6-4 sophomore forward Sa’Myah Smith suffered a season-ending torn ACL. Smith, rated by ESPN’s HoopGurlz as the No. 1 player in Texas in the Class of 2022, helped lead DeSoto to a state runner-up finish last season and scored 16 points in DeSoto’s win over Duncanville this season.

DeSoto has tried different lineups since Smith’s injury, and Friday the Lady Eagles started their twin towers of 6-4 sophomore Tionna Herron and 6-3 sophomore Amina Muhammad against a Carroll team that doesn’t have a player taller than 5-11. Herron and Muhammad combined for 20 points while dominating the rebounding battle.

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“Those two on the floor gives them a really big size advantage,” Robinson said. “That’s been working for us for a while, so we’ve been sticking with it.”

DeSoto’s relentless full-court press and 2-3 zone defense was too much for Carroll (25-11), which made only five field goals (three 3-pointers and two 2-pointers) in the first half. Carroll’s leading scorer, West Texas A&M signee Jillian Sowell, was held scoreless in the first half and finished with only four points.

Greg Riddle

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Cedar Hill 48, Denton Guyer 47 (OT): Early in the second quarter of Friday night’s Class 6A Region I area-round clash between Guyer and Cedar Hill, Guyer took an 11-point lead on a jump shot by Mariah Watson.

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Guyer had dictated the pace and play of the game to that point, but that was all about to change.

By halftime, the Lady Wildcats’ lead had been cut to one. And by the fourth quarter, Guyer’s lead had evaporated completely.

“We got into foul trouble,” Guyer coach Aimee Kilgore said. “We got a couple of quick fouls and I feel like that hurt. We had a couple of girls who could rebound, and, maybe in hindsight you leave them in.”

Cedar Hill took its first lead with 4:01 left and maintained control until Bella Earle tied the score with 44.9 seconds remaining to eventually force overtime.

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But the extra period belonged to the Lady Longhorns. Guyer finished 31-6, the best single-season record in school history.

“I can’t even put into words how proud I am of them,” Kilgore said. “This is my fourth year and my first graduating class. What they have accomplished is just amazing. They did everything I have ever asked.

“Their fight tonight — they didn’t come out on the right side that we wanted, but their fight was just unreal.”

After Guyer took its 11-point lead in the second quarter, Cedar Hill began to force turnovers with its full-court press, leading to easy transition points. The Lady Wildcats also struggled rebounding and at the free throw line, which allowed the Lady Longhorns to chip away at Guyer’s lead.

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The Lady Wildcats went 13-of-25 at the charity stripe, shooting 52%.

Jade Thompson led Guyer in scoring in her final game, pouring in 14 points. TCU pledge Evie Goetz added 10.

Reece Waddell

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Mansfield Timberview 55, Denton Braswell 36: Destiny Burton had 22 points and 11 rebounds as No. 5 Timberview beat No. 17 Braswell in a second-round matchup of state-ranked 5A teams.

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Timberview (28-8) will play The Colony at 6:30 p.m. Monday at Colleyville Heritage. Jasmynne Brown had 14 points and six rebounds for Timberview, and Desiree Wooten finished with 10 points, six rebounds and five assists.

Aminah Hall led Braswell with 13 points. Timberview dominated play early on, leading 14-5 after one quarter, and it extended its lead to 41-24 going into the fourth quarter.

Timberview is trying to make another deep playoff run after finishing as the 5A state runner-up in 2017 and 2018 and reaching the 5A Region I final last season.

Hurst L.D. Bell 79, Amarillo Tascosa 60: Kyla Davis broke L.D. Bell’s school record for career 3-pointers earlier this season, and Friday the senior put on another extraordinary shooting display.

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Davis scored 26 points as the state’s 11th-ranked 6A team dominated its area-round game and advanced to play Arlington Martin, the state’s fourth-ranked team. Jayden Rhodes and Hallie Rhodes scored 14 points apiece, and Alabama signee Myra Gordon scored 11 as L.D. Bell (31-3) extended its winning streak to 21 games.

Arlington Martin 57, El Paso Montwood 34: Martin (34-4) extended its winning streak to 13 games as Autumn Smith scored 16 points and Mariah Roberts finished with 14. Martin didn’t allow more than seven points in any of the first three quarters and led 48-17 entering the fourth quarter.

McKinney 64, Tyler Lee 35: Senior Taylor Jackson made nine 3-pointers and scored 30 points to lead McKinney (19-12) to the easy victory.

McKinney, the No. 3 seed from District 9-6A, advanced to the 6A Region II quarterfinals to play 12-6A champion Killeen Harker Heights, ranked No. 12 in the state. Harker Heights beat Plano East 62-60 in overtime.

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Plano 50, Killeen Ellison 21: The state’s sixth-ranked 6A team extended its winning streak to 12 games and moved on to face 17th-ranked Sachse in the Region II quarterfinals.

Frisco Liberty 57, South Oak Cliff 43: A year after finishing as the 5A state runner-up, Frisco Liberty is headed back to the regional quarterfinals.

Jazzy Owens-Barnett had 22 points and Maya Jain scored 19 for Liberty to offset a 20-point game by Wichita State signee Emani Jenkins of South Oak Cliff (22-11). Liberty (27-11) trailed by one after the first quarter but outscored SOC 28-15 over the second and third quarters.

District 9-5A champion Liberty, ranked No. 25 in the state, advanced to play 9-5A No. 4 seed Frisco Centennial.

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Midlothian 62, Royse City 53: Jerica Henderson scored 20 points, and Maykayla Jackson had 17 as District 14-5A runner-up Midlothian beat the state’s 15th-ranked 5A team. Midlothian (23-13) advanced to play Jacksonville, ranked 13th in the state.

Red Oak 81, Mount Pleasant 43: Sophomore Breanna Davis had 17 points and 10 assists, and senior Micah Cooper added 17 points and six steals as the state’s third-ranked 5A team advanced to face Lancaster in the Region II quarterfinals. Red Oak (28-6) outscored Mount Pleasant 25-5 in the second quarter and took a 41-17 lead into halftime.

Lancaster 72, Lufkin 44: District 13-5A champion Lancaster got 22 points from Skylar Barnes and 17 points from Jamerya Harper.

Pinkston 62, Kennedale 51: Midwestern State signee Kenshawnna Reed scored 15 points, and Pinkston outscored the state’s 22nd-ranked 4A team 40-27 in the second half.

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Pinkston (27-5), ranked No. 15 in the state, will play Melissa in the Region II quarterfinals.

Sunnyvale 56, Gilmer 46: UT-Dallas signee Daniela Marcor scored 23 points as the state’s fourth-ranked 4A team advanced to face Brownsboro.

BOYS DISTRICT TIEBREAKERS

Northwest Eaton 50, Keller Timber Creek 45: Eaton won a tiebreaker for the final playoff berth from District 5-6A as Bobby McCarthy and Devon'Dre Mayfield scored 13 points apiece.

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Eaton (18-16) will open the playoffs against 6-6A champion Coppell (28-5) at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Euless Trinity. Coppell is ranked No. 24 in the state.

Garland 59, South Garland 51: Aaron King and Zuby Ejifor scored 20 points apiece as Garland won a tiebreaker for the No. 4 seed in District 10-6A.

Garland will play 9-6A champion Allen (30-4), ranked No. 5 in the state, at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Richardson Berkner.

Anna 57, Aubrey 44: A 17-point game from Josiah Mackey helped Anna win a tiebreaker for the No. 3 seed in District 11-4A.

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Aubrey will open the playoffs against 12-4A champion Carter (26-7), the state’s second-ranked 4A team. Lincoln (17-16), ranked No. 12 in the state, will be the first-round opponent for Anna.

Twitter: @DMNGregRiddle