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TAPPS boys basketball championship recaps: John Paul II boys join JPII girls as 6A state champions

Plus, Arlington Grace Prep and McKinney Christian claims state titles as well.

6A

John Paul II 66, Concordia 56

WEST — RJ Jones and Liam McNeeley scored 19 points apiece to lead Plano John Paul II to a 66-56 win in the TAPPS 6A Boys championship, its second in the last three years.

No. 2 ranked Plano John II, after an 11-11 first quarter, outscored Tomball Concordia Lutheran 20-8 in the second period, as Jones drilled a pair of 3-pointers to open the period, then connected on another as time expired for a 31-19 advantage.

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“RJ has a knack for hitting buzzer beaters,” head coach Dan Lee said. “He has hit a lot of those this season. He is such a special talent.”

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Plano John Paul ll head coach Dan Lee shares a hug with forward Liam McNeeley (30) during...
Plano John Paul ll head coach Dan Lee shares a hug with forward Liam McNeeley (30) during the final seconds of their 66-56 victory over Tomball Concordia Lutheran to capture the 6A state championship. The two teams played their TAPPS boys basketball 6A state championship game at West High School in West on March 5, 2022. (Steve Hamm/ Special Contributor)(Steve Hamm)

“I enjoy the big games,” Jones said. “This is incredible, winning the championship,” he added. “Great feeling. Team effort. Very unselfish team.”

Lee was extremely proud of his group.

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“We wanted to set the tone for the game,” he said. “Our defense, especially in the first half was fantastic. We held them to 19 points in the first half. And when they did make some runs we had the answers.”

Tomball Concordia Lutheran (27-9) never got closer than eight points in the final period.

Jones, a four-star recruit by 247Sports, is ranked the No. 7 prospect in the the 2023 class.

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McNeeley, a sophomore, is ranked as the second best prospect in the 2024 class and 13th nationally.

Gabriel Warren added 11 points for the state champions, while Elijah Obaseki added another 10.

It was the fourth consecutive and seventh overall state tourney appearance for John Paul II (31-7), who join the John Paul II girls as TAPPS 6A champs.

5A

McKinney Christian 56, San Antonio TMI 51 (2OT)

WEST — McKinney Christian, making its initial state tourney appearance, captured the TAPPS 5A Boys championship in a thrilling 56-51 double overtime win over San Antonio-TMI.

Robert McWard scored a team-high 17 points to lead second-ranked McKinney Christian (36-7), while Jalen Wheeler added 14 and Joshua Thrower chipped in with 13.

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Thrower grabbed a big rebound off a TMI miss with seven seconds left in the second overtime, then converted a pair of free throws to seal the first championship for McKinney Christian.

“I was able to get in rebounding position, then make the free throws,” said a jubilant Thrower, who canned a pair of three-pointers early in the first quarter to stake McKinney Christian to an early 9-2 lead.

That would prove to be the largest lead either team would enjoy, as it was a defensive battle, particularly in the final quarter where TMI held a 5-3 advantage.

McKinney Christian nailed nine three-pointers in the game, including four from McWard and three by Thrower.

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Head coach James Wheeler was thrilled for his team.

“We really came together at the beginning of the year,” Wheeler said. “And playing as a team. Great players. Great team. Unbelievable way to finish it off.”

San Antonio-TMI (29-15), No. 4 in the state rankings and coached by Bruce Bowen, a three-time NBA champion with the San Antonio Spurs, was making its first-ever state tourney appearance.

Joshua Thrower, Robert McWard, Ezekiel Long and Jalen Wheeler were named to the all-tourney team.

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4A

Arlington Grace Prep 58, Schertz John Paul II 47

WEST — Top-ranked Arlington Grace Prep captured the 4A crown with a 58-47 victory over Schertz John Paul II in the TAPPS 4A Boys championship.

The Lions, winning their 17th consecutive game, scored the game’s first eight points, and held a commanding 23-6 lead after the opening quarter, and never trailed in the contest.

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Head coach Josh Duke pointed to the fast start as a big key in the game.

“It was tremendous that we got off to such a fast start,” said Duke. “We hit some timely shots in this game. Our shooting was a little bit off in the other playoff games, but it was better today.”

Duke also credited his defense.

“Our defensive intensity was I thought our biggest key in the game. Josh Williams took some charges. We wanted to stop their driving capabilities, and we did a great job of doing that,” Duke said.

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Ajani Jamison had a team-high 16 points, including beginning the second half with a four-point play. A senior, Jamison — an Indiana Wesleyan signee — connected on four 3-pointers in the contest. Justin McNelkan added 13 points for the victorious Lions.

Grace Prep (34-4) captured its fifth state title (also winning in 2019, 2012, 2011, and 2002) in its 11th final four appearance, including eight in the championship game recording a 5-3 record.

Playoff wins over FW Lake Country Christian and Colleyville Covenant Christian was followed by eliminating Lubbock Trinity Christian in the state semifinal to reach the title game.

Schertz John Paul II (21-15), No. 5 in the state rankings, was making its first-ever title game with its second state tourney appearance. Dezmon Dudley had a game-leading 21 points to pace Schertz John Paul II.

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Josh Williams, Ajani Jamison, Justin McNelkan and Braedyn Ellison were all selected to the 12-member all-tournament team for Grace Prep.

3A: State finalist Dallas Yavneh (24-4) all-tourney selections were Noah Ohayon, Ben Rael, Josh Dekelbaum and Daniel Schick.

2A: Fort Worth Classical Covenant (21-12), in the state tourney for the first time, fell 89-35 to top-ranked and reigning state champion Houston Grace Christian (29-7).

Whitt Jewett, Braden Tucker, Lanham Briley and Luke Liebelt made the 12-member all-tourney team.

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1A: State semifinalist DeSoto Kingdom Collegiate (16-7) had Freshmen Austin Senters and Mason Barnett named to the 12-member all-tourney team.

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