What to know about Nocona's and Newcastle's regional tournament appearances
UIL girls basketball state tournament berths are on the line this weekend with regional tournaments set to begin Friday.
And as expected, Nocona and Newcastle are among the teams playing for a trip to San Antonio.
The Lady Indians and Lady Cats established themselves early as regional and state title contenders, and they lived up to the hype.
Now, with two more wins, they can claim a regional title and push for even a state championship.
More: Crutsinger's toughness key in Nocona's victory against Cisco
Find details about each regional tournament and the teams competing in them below.
REGION II-2A TOURNAMENT
Three of the four teams — Nocona, Muenster and Lipan — in this year’s tournament were also in McKinney at this time last season.
Nocona and Muenster meet in the second semifinal at 7 p.m. Friday at McKinney North High School. Defending state champion Lipan faces regional tournament newcomer Collinsville in the first semifinal at 5 p.m. Friday.
The two semifinal winners meet for a state tournament berth at 1 p.m. Saturday.
Tickets for each day at $8 each. Games will be live streamed on NFHS Network.
No. 9 Nocona Lady Indians
Coach: Kyle Spitzer
Record: 32-3
Last regional tournament: 2023, lost in the final to eventual state champion Lipan.
Road to McKinney: d. Hawley in bi-district, 59-34; d. Frost in area, 64-37; d. Cisco in regional quarterfinals, 56-48.
Players to watch: Megyn Meekins (G, Jr.), Skyler Smith (G, Sr.), Avery Crutsinger (G/F, Jr.)
Notes: Returning to the Region II-2A Tournament was the minimal expectation for the Lady Indians this season after playing for the region title last year. No one in the region has a 1-2 punch quite like Meekins and Smith, but it’s the improved shooting of the role players surrounding those two stars that stands out. Everyone that hits the court for the Lady Indians can knock down a 3-pointer and open looks tend to come their way with all the attention on Meekins and Smith. Nocona defeated Muenster in the semifinals of last year’s regional tournament.
No. 16 Muenster Lady Hornets
Coach: Chris Hightower
Record: 29-6
Last regional tournament: 2023, lost in the semifinals to Nocona.
Road to McKinney: d. Wolfe City in bi-district, 48-28; d. Como-Pickton in area, 46-25; d. Cooper in regional quarterfinals, 62-56.
Players to watch: Brooke Tyler (G, Sr.), Maggie Hess (G, Sr.), Macy Bayer (G, Sr.)
Notes: This is the Lady Hornets’ sixth consecutive regional tournament appearance. They last won the region in 2020. Muenster is headlined by the senior trio listed above with Tyler and Hess being notable contributors from last year’s team that lost to Nocona in the regional semifinals. Muenster is 2-0 against the rest of the field this season, beating Collinsville twice in District 13-2A.
No. 1 Lipan Lady Indians
Coach: Amber Branson
Record: 33-3
Last regional tournament: 2023, won the Region II-2A Tournament and Class 2A state championship.
Road to McKinney: d. Italy in bi-district, 71-21; d. Haskell in area, 58-29; d. Hamilton in regional quarterfinals, 44-27.
Players to watch: Hanna Gaylor (G, Jr.), Taylor Branson (G, Sr.), Ashlyn Clark (G/F, Sr.)
Notes: This is Lipan’s fourth consecutive regional tournament appearance. The Lady Indians have also won two of the last three Class 2A state championships. It was Gaylor who hurt Nocona the most in last year’s region final, scoring 18 points as a sophomore. Lipan’s three losses this season are against teams from higher classifications, including Class 6A foe Austin Vandegrift, Class 5A’s Lubbock-Cooper and Emory Rains, the No. 3 team in Class 3A.
Collinsville Lady Pirates
Coach: Janson Hightower
Record: 21-10
Last regional tournament: Never
Road to McKinney: d. Bland in bi-district, 55-52; d. Simms-Bowie in area, 61-39; d. Lindsay in regional quarterfinals, 48-44.
Players to watch: Addisyn McDonnell (C, Sr.), Ashleigh Ortowski (G, So.), Reese Patterson (G, So.)
Notes: This is the first regional tournament appearance in program history. The Lady Pirates are the only team in the field not currently ranked in the TABC Class 2A poll. They had to overcome double-digit deficits in two of their three playoff wins, including against Bland in the first round and Lindsay on Tuesday. Collinsville finished second in District 13-2A losing to Muenster twice by double digits. This is a young team with McDonnell being the only senior listed on the roster.
REGION III-A TOURNAMENT
Mansfield High School serves as the host for the Region III-A Tournament.
Newcastle plays in the second semifinal of the night, meeting defending regional champion Huckabay at 7 p.m. Friday. The first semifinal features Gorman and Dodd City at 5 p.m. Friday.
The two semifinal winners play for a state tournament berth at 2 p.m. Saturday.
Tickets are $10 for each day with children under the age of 2 admitted free. The tournament will be live streamed on NFHS Network.
No. 2 Newcastle Lady Cats
Coach: Ryan Dollar
Record: 31-2
Last regional tournament: 2011, lost in Region II-A Division II final to Lipan
Road to Mansfield: d. Bellevue in bi-district, 54-20; d. Bloomburg in area, 48-34; d. Saint Jo in regional quarterfinals, 62-29.
Players to watch: Mattie Dollar (G, Jr.), Camren Mallory (G, Fr.), Mya Cabrera (F, Sr.)
Notes: Already a playoff caliber team, Newcastle became a regional and state title contender with the addition of junior guard Mattie Dollar, the daughter of head coach Ryan Dollar. Mattie Dollar was a Class 2A all-state selection at Martins Mill last season. She leads the TRN Sports coverage area with 24.2 points per game. Throckmorton’s only two losses this season is to fellow Region III-A Tournament qualifier, Gorman, and District 7-3A champion City View by a combined six points.
Huckabay Lady Indians
Coach: Barry Gill
Record: 28-10
Last regional tournament: 2023, won the Region III-A Tournament and lost in state final to Nazareth.
Road to Mansfield: d. Walnut Springs in bi-district, 73-26; d. Zephyr in area, 46-30; d. Richland Springs in regional quarterfinals, 52-43.
Players to watch: Chayni Chamberlain (G, Sr.), Lillie Soderlind (G, Sr.)
Notes: Huckabay is the only unranked team in the Region III-A Tournament, but the Lady Indians still come in with quite the recent resume. They are the two-time Region III-A Tournament champions and lost in the state title game to Nazareth last season. The team was hit hard by graduation but had gelled late in the season. They beat seventh-ranked Richland Springs to get back to the regional tournament.
No. 11 Gorman Lady Panthers
Coach: Kristi Sandoval
Record: 32-5
Last regional tournament: 2018, lost in semifinals to Dodd City
Road to Mansfield: d. Iredell in bi-district, 82-15; d. Priddy in area, 63-32; d. Cherokee in regional quarterfinals, 85-27.
Players to watch: Hadli Hampton (G, Jr.), Delila Crain (F, So.), Mariella Rodriguez (F, Sr.)
Notes: Gorman has been the most dominant team in Region III-A during the postseason, outscoring its opponents, 230-74. The Lady Panthers actually finished second in District 19-A, but would-be district champion Gordon was forced to forfeit most of its district games and missed the playoffs as a result. But Gorman has clearly proved it belongs among this tournament field.
No. 19 Dodd City Lady Hornets
Coach: Landon Dyer
Record: 25-8
Last regional tournament: 2021, won the Region III-A Tournament and the Class A state championship.
Road to Mansfield: d. Avery in bi-district, 42-10; d. Graford in area, 43-37; d. Throckmorton in regional quarterfinals, 48-38.
Players to watch: Taegan Williams (F, So.), Natally Medina (G, Sr.), Addyson Chaney (G, Sr.)
Notes: Dodd City is a perennial regional and state contender, making its 10th consecutive regional tournament appearance. The Lady Hornets last won the region in 2021 when they went on to win the program’s lone state championship. All of Dodd City’s losses this season have come against either state-ranked Class A opponents or teams from higher classifications.
This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: Nocona & Newcastle girls basketball teams set for regional tournaments
