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4A Girls Basketball Playoffs Oddity


regaleagle

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17 hours ago, regaleagle said:

At this level.....what it really comes down to is how your best shooters are playing at this particular juncture of the season.  Argyle's defense is seriously good, but they are weak at the free throw line.  If they get into a tight game at the end, they could miss some critical attempts at the charity line and be in for a real fight to the finish.  Argyle does have the shooters from the outside, and definitely are very good off the boards.  And they get alot of steals from their trap defense also.

But I will give a possible explanation for the poor Free Throw percentages for Argyle.  Coach Westmoreland likes to play everybody as much as possible almost every game, so that might explain why those percentages are less than maybe a team as good as Argyle should have at the Free Throw Line.  And the starters do not really play near the minutes that your "normal" playoff teams play......there are really about 8 or 9 girls that play interchangeably and even start interchangeably.  Argyle carries 13 girls on the varsity roster this season.....this number is very "normal" for most teams.  I believe the Girls JV team went undefeated this season......but not sure about the Girls freshman team.  Regardless.....they ARE loaded with talent for the years to come.

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In the Decatur(33-5) vs Seminole(25-4) Region 1 Semifinal upcoming in Lubbock on Friday night.......Seminole is a scoring machine.  They are averaging 75.5 pts/game while only giving up 38.5 to their opponents.  Decatur has played 9 more games on the season.....and to tougher competition.  The Lady Eagles are averaging 56 pts.game while allowing only 30 pts/game to their opponents.  Looks like Decatur might have a stiffer defense.....but it's difficult to say when Seminole has been mowing over everybody and playing the backups......and still only allowing only 38.5 per game.  This looks on paper like it will be one of those tight defensive battles in the low 50's to me.  But maybe Seminole goes off on Decatur with their scoring machine......I really don't know how good they can be against a really good defensive team like Decatur.  And maybe they have some big tall girls under the rim for those easy putbacks, too???

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Haha......guess what?  I looked on MaxPreps for Seminole's roster.  It says 4 players......3 freshmen and one junior, LOL.  You think they might be hiding a few things by design?  OR maybe they just don't have anybody that pays much attention to the MaxPreps site......that sounds more plausible.  But still.....you would think they would at least list their starters for sure......esp. since they are one of the better basketball programs in 4A out there in West Texas.  But I've seen this many times by lots of schools......for whatever reasons they have.   

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I was curious about tonight's big game out in West Texas between Canyon and Levelland too......so I did some checking on those two teams too.  Argyle will play the winner. Looks like Canyon has 6 seniors and 5 juniors from last season's State Championship on that team, and only one soph but two freshmen.  One of the freshman is 5-11.  They don't list heights except for 2 seniors @ 5-5 and 5-7,  and that 5-11 freshman. I'm betting all three are non-starters.  They do list 14 names on their varsity, their positions, and their grade level.

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Meanwhile over in Levelland,  they do list the names and grades of their 14 varsity players, but only name the positions of 8 players and the height of 4 players. They have 9 seniors, one junior, one soph, and 3 freshmen on their varsity roster.  Maybe over in West Texas you just do not give much info about your best players. Should be common knowledge for their opponents anyway.  So this game between Canyon and Levelland......who the heck knows what either team has except for the locals.  I'm sure that Argyle will have their coaches at this game watching it tonight for sure.

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If you look up Argyle on MaxPreps......all 13 of the varsity players and their grade levels are listed.  They list their positions and their height as well.....except for 3 freshmen.  Just to let you know......McDonald's All American nominee Caroline Lyles(6-0) is a senior point guard move-in from Fayetteville.  In 2019 as a soph. she was a starter and her team lost their State Championship bid on a last second heartbreaker.  Her mother was a lawyer in Fayetteville for 28 yrs......had been previously diagnosed with breast cancer, and passed that year.  Then in 2020, Caroline led her team Fayetteville High to the state championship again, and lost in overtime to Fort Smith North 52-51.  She had been recruited as a freshman by Murray State and made that trip on campus with her father......who is a Texas A&M grad.  They searched the DFW area for the right school for her to transfer to and came away with Argyle as the perfect fit.  Then her Dad James was diagnosed with throat cancer not long after the move and has undergone and completed chemo in December......he has not missed a game.  You can read about this whole story if you google Denton Record Chronicle/high school sports.

Ashlin Crabtree(5-11/Jr) is a shooting guard returner from last season.....she's very impressive.  Madi Lumsden(5-8/Jr) is the point guard and another returning starter for Argyle......she swished (8) 3-pointers in one game this season.....I'm pretty sure that was against Decatur.  Gabby Campbell(5-7/Soph) is the other PG/SG starter that returned from last season.  Then you have Savannah Bennett(6-0/Jr) forward; Samantha Bacon(5-11/Soph) power forward; Mallory Millington(5-11/Soph) forward; and Mayce Durham(5-7/Sr.) SF that all returned from last season.  Durham is not a starter, but a 3-point specialist. Argyle really does not play a center always under the basket in their scheme......they have multiple players that can score inside and get the rebounds.  Then there are 5 more players on the bench that are all contributors to this team......3 are freshmen, one soph, and one junior Ava Valentino(5-6/Jr) shooting guard....whose brother is a really good returning starter for the Argyle Boys that won the State Title last season.  I think she is the 3rd and youngest Valentino to play basketball at Argyle......they are all very impressive 3-point shooters.

 

 

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WOWEE!!  Canyon and Levelland tipped at 5 pm today and went to Overtime at 26 each.  Then the final was 44-37 Canyon......so it must have been a real eye-opener for Levelland as Canyon just shut down that high-scoring machine.  Actually......Canyon was ranked at #6 while Levelland was ranked #7 in the final polls a couple of weeks ago. So that tells you all you need to know about Canyon's team this season.  Argyle has their hands full for sure.  Canyon returned just as many from last season as Argyle......just maybe not as many starters.    Canyon and Argyle have not met in the past few seasons.....but when they do Argyle has won in close contests.  In 2019, Argyle defeated Canyon in this upcoming round 41-38, then defeated Bridgeport, and lost in the final on a last second miss in the Final against Fairfield 40-39.  Congrats Fairfield. :thumbsup:.   Then the year before that in 2018 in the same round again......it was 41-38 again that Argyle won.  They won State for 5 straight years from that year back.....and I think Canyon was in 5A for a few seasons before dropping back down to 4A a couple of realignments ago.

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The Argyle Lady Eagles basketball program have never had an undefeated season.  The best season ever was in 2016 when Vivian Gray was a junior.....35-1 and that one loss was against Cibolo Steele in a tournament early season.  The Lady Eagles went 38-2 the very next season when Gray was a senior.  They have had two seasons total with just two losses......amazing considering they play UP against larger classifications every season.  But NEVER undefeated.....yet!  I think they have won either 6 or 7 State Titles, and come out on the short end in the Final about 3 times in their history, maybe 4.......that's what I remember without doing the research. 

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Region 2 semifinals at Texas A&M-Commerce Friday:

6 pm -- Paris vs. Dallas Lincoln

8 pm -- #4 Brownsboro vs. #13 Sanger

 

This is the first Paris girls team to advance to the 4th round since the 1989 team that lost in the state semifinals.  It's been a surprising run for the Ladycats, who have 0 seniors on the squad.  Don't know for sure, but I think they attracted a bigger following last night (at Sulphur Springs) than the boys drew (at Pittsburg).  Never imagined I'd see that happening.

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They said you couldn't find a seat the other night in Haslet at Eaton High School's gym when Argyle's girls played Bridgeport on Monday night.  Of course, Argyle is the state's #1 ranked team and lost last year to Bridgeport in the area round by one point on a 3-pointer at the buzzer.  But that was last season's very young Argyle Girls basketball team.  It only took them one year to get back on top.  There is still only one senior starter......move-in phenom Caroline Lyles from Fayetteville.  The rest and most of the bench are underclassmen this season. There is one other senior bench player.

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Brownsboro indeed has an excellent Girls Basketball program and team this season again.  They will be a tough out in this Region 2 tournament for sure.  However......be aware that those #13 Sanger Lady Indians(30-4) are really under-ranked IMHO, and have the capability of winning the whole enchilada.  I would put them up there in the Top 10 for sure......their losses were to very quality opponents all in the playoffs now: #4 Coppell(37-2)-6A;  #14 Decatur(33-5)-4A;  #4 Peaster(33-4)-3A;  and #13 Stamford(23-2)-2A.  Brownsboro(36-2) ranked #4 and heavily favored to win Region 2 this season, had losses to #6 Winnsboro(31-5)-3A, and to #2 Fairfield(36-1)-3A.

#14 Decatur in 4A is definitely under-ranked, too......they are seriously good and have a defense that can just shut teams down.  You must remember that 2 or their losses occurred against Argyle. The other 3 were against Liberty Hill, Levelland, and Liberty Christian out of Argyle. They are better now than then.

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#1 Argyle vs #3 Canyon at 6 pm in Lubbock.  Canyon is the defending State Champion and gives up 30 pts/game.  Canyon has a crazy amount of SC Titles in their history in Girls Basketball.......maybe 18 thru all their years.  This is possibly THE MATCHUP of the season in 4A for Girls Basketball this season. It will be a defensive battle as both teams are very very good defensively and set up their entire games based on playing very tough defensive basketball.

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Now playing in the 2nd quarter.  The late game tonight will be Decatur vs Seminole......so 2 teams from District 7 playing in West Texas against 2 local basketball powers.  This game will be extremely low scoring for both teams......which team will control the ball better.  It will be very close all the way.  Canyon playing with 4 seniors......two of them with scholarships to play at the next level.  
 

Argyle   14

Canyon  8

Halftime........Argyle averages 60+ points/game.  Only 2 points for Canyon in that 2nd quarter as Argyle does not mind a defensive battle

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Canyon plays excellent fundamentals......just like Argyle.  Tough to score on and tough to rebound against.  Canyon likes to shoot from the outside......just like Argyle.  Both these teams just look like mirror images.  Canyon likes to full court press and get steals......just like Argyle.  The stands are full highly in favor of the locals. But Decatur and Argyle have brought a large contingent as you might guess.  

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Anything but boring......lots of action in this game despite the defensive battle.  Lots of jockeying on defense on both sides.  Neither team can seem to get a great advantage against the other when they have the ball. Something is gonna have to change.....but both teams believe in their styles and will stick to what they do.  A little more scoring now going on in this 3rd quarter.......more shots taken and more running up and down the court.  Lots of steals both ways......exchanging turnovers back and forth. Crazy game really.......you just don't see these types of games at all. 

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The fouls are beginning to add up for both teams now.  Now Canyon finally hits a 3-pointer.....the first of the game for them.  Now Argyle travels in the backcourt and Canyon gets the ball back in their own end. Timeout Argyle.  Gabby Campbell already has 3 fouls and is on the bench now.  Canyon scores again and has a 5-0 run now.  Argyle misses and Canyon gets the rebound.  Tempo picking up.  Foul on Argyle.....Canyon drew the charge.  Canyon scores again.....has cut the lead to one.  Now Canyon strips the ball and scores.  Canyon leads on a 9-0 run in the 3rd.  Timeout Argyle.

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Now Lyles goes in strong for Argyle and another charging call against Lyles.  That is her 3rd foul.....two by charging calls.  That call was really really highly questionable.  Argyle trailing by 6 now......have not lost a game all season.....even against 5A and 6A schools.

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Canyon fouls Bacon shooting......she sinks both free throws.  Canyon up by 4 now......Argyle not rattled. Now Argyle scores again.....down by two.  They trapped and stole the ball.....Gabby Campbell went up and made it.  Argyle has taken the momentum away with their trap defense. Timeout Canyon on another trap in front of Canyon's bench.

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