Girls basketball playoff roundup: Argyle, Boswell secure wins plus more from area teams

The Texas high school girls basketball playoff area round is here, and plenty of Fort Worth teams are fighting to continue their quests for a state championship.

Here is a roundup of how Fort Worth-area teams performed.

Argyle’s offense overpowers Arlington Heights

Argyle senior guard Gabby Campbell’s 26 points powered her team to a 63-43 victory over Arlington heights on Friday at Haslet Eaton High School. Campbell made six three pointers in 11 attempts.

“She means a lot to this program,” Argyle head coach Chance Westmoreland said of Campbell. “She hit several threes from the outside. She did an incredible job of not turning the ball over and brings a calming factor to our team.”

Argyle (32-5) started the game with a 12-0 run, jumping out to a sizable lead. Westmoreland said Argyle isn’t usually a first quarter team but that the run set the tone.

“We did a good job of getting inside during the first quarter,” Westmoreland said. “Gabby (Campbell) hit some threes.”

Heights (22-9) responded, seizing the momentum and cutting Argyle’s lead to 12-8 as the first quarter ended. The Yellowjackets’ run was short lived, however, and the Eagles responded with a 26-4 run in the second quarter.

“We switched to a half court trap,” Westmoreland said. “And we were able to generate some turnovers off that and score.”

Arlington Heights’ defense tightened up in the second half, but the Yellowjacket offense couldn’t muster up enough points to erase the 26 point halftime deficit.

Argyle’s second leading scorer was senior forward Samantha Bacon, who scored 14 points and hauled in five rebounds. Westmoreland said Bacon’s play has made a great impact on the team’s success.

“She’s averaged 12 points a game,” Westmoreland said. “She has elevated that in the playoffs. She’s just a fighter. This year she is much more offensive than she ever has been and that adds a big element to our team.”

Argyle’s regional quarterfinal opponent is Colleyville Heritage, a team that beat Brewer on Thursday. Heritage is one of Argyle’s District 7-5A rivals.

The two teams split the regular season matchups with Colleyville Heritage winning the most recent contest.

“We’ve got to stick to our game plan,” Westmoreland said. “Play great defense. Play a good inside out game. We have to fight for four quarters.”

Campbell said the team will need to focus on guarding Heritage’s star players and work to create opportunities in transition.

Alvarado edges Anna in slug fest

The Alvarado girls basketball team had all it could handle against a game Anna squad, but the Indians pulled out a 65-60 win in a Class 4A area-round game on Friday at the Arlington ISD Athletics Center.

Alvarado (20-15) advances to the regional quarterfinals and will face Dallas Oak Cliff Faith Family (16-15) next week. Faith Family defeated Fort Worth Eastern Hills 65-31 on Friday.

The game was close throughout with neither team holding more than a six point lead until Alvarado went on an 11-2 run midway through the final quarter to take a 61-52 lead.

But even then Anna (20-12) closed the game to within six at 61-55 when Valajah Jackson, who led the Coyotes with 23 points, hit a three with 1:19 left.

The Indians were stellar from the free throw line, hitting 21 of 28 on the night, including four of six in the final minute to hold Anna at bay.

Joslyn Jarmon led all scorers with 29 points for Alvarado and added eight rebounds, six steals and two assists. Jarmon was seven of eight from the free throw line and hit a three pointer from just inside half court at the end of the third quarter to give the Indians a 46-42 lead.

Candra Bridgewater chipped in 16 points for Alvarado. Ayonna Cooper had 10 points for Anna.

Panther Creek rallies to shock Godley

Panther Creek junior guard Jaela Wade got a steal and scored four points in the final 20 seconds of the game to stun No. 15 Godley 45-43 in a girls Class 4A area-round basketball game on Friday at the Arlington ISD Athletics Center.

Wade hit three key three pointers in the game with the first two coming in the first quarter.

Godley (26-9) had built a 10-3 behind the post play of Alyssa Jimenez and Bree Hubbard. But Wade, who finished with a team-high 15 points, hit a three with 4:10 left in the first quarter to close the gap to 10-6 and made it 10-9 at the 2:21 mark of the opening frame with another three.

Godley rebuilt the lead to nine, 31-22, after a basket by Jimenez with 4:31 left in the third, but Panther Creek (25-12) started chipping away at the lead.

Wade’s three pointer with 4:49 left in the game tied the score at 37. The game was nip and tuck from that point until Wade took over.

A steal by Wade led to a layup and a foul with 20 ticks left. Wade missed the free throw, but got her own rebound and put it back for a 45-41 lead with seven seconds left on the clock.

Dynamic forward Brynn Lusby got into early foul trouble, but still finished with 12 points for Panther Creek. Jimenez led Godley with 17 points with Hubbard adding 14 and Logan Reed chipping in 12 for the Wildcats.

Panther Creek is in its second year of playing varsity girls basketball and will face Fort Worth Dunbar (24-8) in the Region II regional quarterfinals. The Panthers reached the regional semifinals last season.

Boswell defeats San Angelo Central

Boswell jumped out to a 19-11 first quarter lead against San Angelo Central and held it the rest of the way, securing a 58-36 victory on Friday at Clyde High School.

Boswell (33-5) was led by Camille Williams, a 5-foot-11 junior who was named the District 4-6A Co Most Valuable Player in her sophomore season. Williams scored a game high 20 points.

Freshman Sydney Durrah also had a strong performance, tallying 17 points. She scored nine points in the first quarter, setting the tone for the eventual victory.

Sophomore Salena Carrasco was also a factor, adding 12 points. She was efficient from the free throw line, making all six of her attempts.

Hurst L.D. Bell eliminated by El Paso Eastwood

El Paso Eastwood defeated Hurst L.D. Bell 47-33 on Friday at Odessa high school, ending the Blue Raiders’ season.

Bell (30-5) won 30 games in the 2023-2024 season but fizzled toward the end, losing three of their final four games. The Blue Raiders were led in scoring by junior Chanelle Davis, who tallied nine points.

Eastwood will take on Fort Worth Boswell next week in the Class 6A regional quarterfinals at a location and day that is to be determined.

Dunbar downs Van Alstyne in overtime thriller

The Fort Worth Dunbar girls basketball team struggled with free throws all night long against Van Alstyne, but when the Wildcats needed it most they came through.

After starting the game hitting three of 15 from the stripe, Dunbar hit nine of its next 14 in the fourth quarter and overtime to down the Panthers 44-40 in a Class 4A area-round game on Thursday at Irving MacArthur High School.

“We’re usually better shooters than that,” said Dunbar coach Candice Issac of her teams free throw woes. “We’re usually about 75-80 percent shooting from the line. I’m not sure if it was nerves, but I’m just glad that we won. We hit them when we really needed to, but they’re making me old before my time.”

Dunbar (24-8) advances to the regional quarterfinals for the first time since 2013 when they lost in the regional semifinals. The Wildcats will face either No. 15 Godley (26-8) or Frisco Panther Creek (25-12).

Dunbar reached the state tournament from 2005-2007, winning it all in 2005 and 2007 and losing in the semifinals in 2006.

Van Alstyne (20-14) jumped out to a 7-2 lead before Dunbar battled back to tie the game at seven on a three by Tiyanna McKinney with 1:17 left in the first quarter.

The Wildcats continued on the 9-0 run into the second period capped by Jordan McIntosh who drove the lane to score to make it 11-7 with 4:16 left before halftime.

“We’re quick and we have to use that speed to our advantage,” said Isaac. “We like taking them off the dribble, using that lane, but if we need to go shoot we can. We are great shooters, but if we can go attack then we do.”

Dunbar never trailed again until the 4:33 mark of the fourth quarter when Kaelyn Miller laid it in to give Van Alstyne a 31-29 lead.

The Wildcats trailed from that point until McIntosh, who led all scorers with 26 points, hit two key free throws to tie the game at 36 with 18 ticks left in regulation.

Dunbar had a chance to win the game at the line with two-tenths of a second left, but both free throws were missed sending the game to overtime.

McIntosh opened the extra four minutes with a pair of baskets to give the Wildcats a 40-36 lead and Dunbar never trailed again. Argyle, which hit key three-pointers all game to stay close, went 0 of 5 from beyond the arc in overtime.

Ryleigh Miller led Van Alstyne with 16 points, all in the second half.

Colleyville Heritage stuns Brewer

Colleyville Heritage girls basketball entered the game as the underdog, but certainly didn’t play like one.

Colleyville Heritage (23-10) defeated Brewer (29-5) on Thursday at the Arlington ISD Athletics Center. The Brewer Bears, the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches’ No. 15 ranked Class 5A team, made a late push but failed to erase the Panther lead.

Colleyville Heritage head coach Courtney Lee said the team’s experience shows, especially since eight of the 11 players on the current team went to the regional semifinal in the 2023 season.

“They learned last year how to close games,” Lee said. “We’ve played so many hard teams, and they’ve become comfortable. There were some ugly moments tonight, but they find a way to figure it out and play smarter.”

Heritage led 14-11 after one quarter behind seven early points by sophomore Journee Hampton, who scored 13 in the game. Hampton pushed the tempo, controlling the pace with elite ball handling and control.

“She is just ahead of her time,” Lee said of the sophomore. “She’s been doing what she’s been doing since sixth grade. I’m not surprised that she is as good as she is. … She hasn’t even scratched the surface of how good she really is.”

After the first quarter, neither team scored until Suli Davis notched a bucket five minutes into the second quarter. Lee said Davis, who finished with a team high 15 points, plays a significant role on both sides of the court.

“When you have Suli (Davis) in that paint, it flusters them a little bit,” Lee said. “They had some good, open looks honestly. She just has big hands. She plays the ball very well, and it gets into a lot of teams’ heads.”

Davis is also one of the top volleyball players in Texas, and helped power the Panthers to the state semifinal.

“There aren’t many people that are built mentally or physically like Suli (Davis),” Lee said. “She brings a lot of leadership. She knows how to win.”

Colleyville Heritage held Brewer, the Star-Telegram’s No. 2 ranked Class 5A team in the Fort Worth-area, to two points in the second quarter. The Brewer Bears put things together offensively in the second half behind senior guard Jayla Jackson Allen’s 19 points but couldn’t build enough momentum to erase the Panther lead.

In the closing moments, the Bears needed a bucket to stay alive. The inbounder rolled the ball to halfcourt to save precious time, but Heritage guard Madalynn Williams rushed the ball and stole the possession away.

“She gets after it defensively,” Lee said. “I’m so proud of her.”

To keep the momentum going, Lee said the main thing the team needs focus on is staying healthy. She added that shooting efficiently at the line will help the team succeed.

Heritage, in the regional quarterfinal, will face Argyle. The Eagles defeated Arlington Heights on Tuesday at Haslet Eaton High School.

Southlake Carroll thumps El Paso Americas

Southlake Carroll (30-5) and the Jordan sisters are rolling into the Class 6A regional quarterfinals. The Lady Dragons picked up a 69-41 victory on Thursday at Midland Christian High School.

Americas kept things close at first and headed into the second quarter facing a three point deficit. That was when the Lady Dragons took over, scoring 29 points in the frame to create a dominant 40-16 halftime lead.

Southlake Carroll cruised to victory and was led by sophomore Gianna Jordan, who scored 20 points. Junior Milania Jordan was the team’s second leading scorer with 19 points.

Mansfield Timberview overwhelms Aledo

Mansfield Timberview, the TABC’s No. 1 ranked Class 5A team, defeated Aledo 70-32 on Thursday at Cleburne High School.

Timberview (36-1) won its 33rd consecutive game and was led by senior Emilee Jones, who scored 16 points. Senior Crishawn Coleman was also had a strong performance with 13 points.

Kamryn Wilson and Brooklyn Terry followed closely behind with 11 and 10 points, respectively.

Aledo (28-10) finished second in District 5-5A ahead of a bi-district round win over Fort Worth Wyatt. Aledo head coach Nicole Hyles said she is so proud of the team and the season the season as a whole.

The Bearcats were led by August Carlone, who scored 12 points, and Kinley Elms, who tallied eight points.