Ponder collapses late, fails to topple No. 1 Hitchcock in Class 3A state championship

Leading 48-41 and was just over five minutes remaining, Ponder was on the verge of claiming its first boys basketball state title in a decade.

Hitchcock ended the game on an 12-1 run to claim back-to-back Class 3A state championships, defeating Ponder 53-49 at the Alamodome on Saturday. Ponder’s offense collapsed down the stretch, failing to make a field goal in the last six minutes.

Ponder (37-7) led the majority of the game, but Hitchcock (34-2) proved why it’s the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches No. 1 ranked team by stepping up when it mattered most.

After Ponder’s state semifinal win over Holliday on Thursday, head coach JD Sullivan said the team would put its faith first regardless of the result of the game. That’s exactly what the Lions did after the title game despite losing the heart-breaker.

“We are giving God the glory for this platform,” Sullivan said. “For whatever reason, it wasn’t meant to be, and we won’t ask why. We are grateful and thankful to have this opportunity.”

Hitchcock senior Damien McDaniel, the Most Valuable Player, paved the way for the Bulldogs with a team-high 23 points and four steals. He made nine free throws in 10 attempts, contributing to Hitchock’s 17 made free throws as a team.

“We had to turn it up if we wanted to win,” McDaniel said. “I just wanted to win. I wanted to do whatever it took to win.”

Ponder made its first state tournament appearance since 2014, when it last won a state championship. It seemed as if the Lions would add to their storied history when their offensive production suddenly froze.

Sullivan said his team was “five minutes short” after a season full of resiliency and added he “couldn’t be more proud.”

“It wasn’t a lack of effort but a lack of focus,” Sullivan said. “They poured their hearts out. Sometimes, it’s not meant to be.”

Hitchcock head coach Christopher Jordan-Foster said his message to the team was to embrace the hardship of overcoming a late deficit. The Bulldog defense locked in, stunning the Lions.

“It’s not going to be easy,” Jordan-Foster said in reflection. “If it was easy, everyone would do this. But if you want this, it’s going to be hard.”

Ponder shot 53% from the field compared to Hitchcock’s 40%, and Ponder also tallied 10 more assists. Ponder’s 13 total turnovers, especially down the stretch, were the deciding factor.

In the first quarter, Hitchcock’s defense made Ponder work, but the Lions’ ball movement and patience proved effective. Ponder’s defense didn’t match the offense’s intensity, however, and the Bulldogs shot 67% from the field in the opening frame, taking a 16-12 lead.

To start the second quarter, Ponder senior Kade Irons hit a 3-pointer and teammate Jace Sullivan fought through contact for a go ahead field goal plus a free throw.

Ponder briefly lost the lead but ended the quarter with an 11-0 run that included 3-pointers from seniors Max Hutcherson, Carter Eddy and Cooper McNut. The Lions took a 31-21 lead into halftime.

Ponder, to start the third quarter, lined up near Hitchcock’s goal and fooled the Bulldog defense, sending one player to the correct basket for a wide open layup.

The Bulldogs recovered from the mental error, trimming to the Ponder lead to 41-39 heading into the fourth quarter. Jordan-Foster told his team to stick to the game plan despite the deficit.

“Don’t get frustrated,” Jordan-Foster said. “We don’t want to come down on offense and take bad shots just because we’re down double digits. You’re only going to get back in it one play at a time, and it starts on the defensive end.”

The Lions, once again, opened a quarter with a field goal -- this time it was a 3-pointer from Sullivan. Ponder’s consistent, record breaking offense, out of nowhere, looked like a shell of itself.

The Lions last field goal was a layup from Irons, and then the offense crumbled under Hitchcock’s defensive pressure. Senior Timber Crider, a facilitator in Ponder’s offense with five assists, fouled out with three minutes remaining; that was the final blow.

The Lions struggled to make simple passes and could barely dribble, turning the ball over a whopping nine times in the fourth quarter.

“I felt like we gave ourselves a chance and did a lot of good things to put ourselves in a position at the end,” Sullivan said. “Live ball turnovers was one of the three keys to winning. ... It was certainly the difference in the game.”