WACO — After cutting Shiner St. Paul’s lead to one possession, the Harvest Christian Eagles seemed to have momentum on their side going into the break, trailing the Cardinals by only three points.
The Cardinals responded with a keep away strategy to open the third quarter, rotating the ball near midcourt to chew up the clock and keep the Eagles outside an arm’s reach.
Shiner St. Paul’s tactics worked, limiting the Eagles to six third-quarter points, while killing their momentum.
The effects carried into the final quarter, with the Cardinals outscoring the Eagles 20-11 to end Harvest Christian’s season 56-42 in the TAPPS Class 2A state semifinals Thursday at University High Gym.
“Basketball is a game of momentum,” Harvest Christian head coach Jaime Gonzalez said. “It can be your best friend or your worst enemy. It’s one of those things, when you lose momentum, you have to get it back quick. In that second half, we just couldn’t get it back quick. … Down the stretch when they were pretty much scoring at will, you could tell the juice was gone. That falls on me though. I’m supposed to be able to stop it and regroup the girls but just wasn’t able to do it.”
The Cardinals advance to the TAPPS Class 2A state championship game for a second straight season, taking on Bethesda Christian at 6 tonight at the West High Gym in West.
The Eagles finish with a 31-7 overall record, while advancing to the state tournament for the second time in program history.
Following a low-scoring third quarter, Cardinals senior guard Rebecca Wagner took control of the game during the fourth, scoring seven of her team’s 20 points, while finding her teammates for easy buckets after breaking through the Eagles’ defense.
“We knew their No. 14 (Wagner) was a good one,” Gonzalez said. “Her experience and leadership just took over especially down the stretch during the fourth quarter. They started stalling early and were trying to be more shot selective. Putting the ball in her hands definitely helped them out.”
Wagner finished with a game-high 21 points for the Cardinals. Freshman Riley McClaugherty led the Eagles with 16 points.
Down by eight midway through the second, McClaugherty sparked an 8-0 run for the Eagles with a 3-pointer. Sophomore combo guard Ashley Gonzalez capped the run with a layup to tie the game with 4:25 left in the half.
The Cardinals retook the lead with a 5-2 run to close out the quarter and didn’t look back, never allowing the Eagles to take the lead or tie the game again.
“We accomplished a whole lot this season,” Gonzalez said. “Sometimes the best team doesn’t win; it’s the team that plays best for 32 minutes. Not to take anything away from Shiner (St. Paul). They earned it today for sure. I feel for my seniors but overall, I’m proud of them.”
RUN IT BACK
Despite the defeat, the Eagles look primed for another deep postseason run next year, returning three of five starters, including their top two scorers in Garcia and Gonzalez.
Also returning is freshman McClaugherty, who led the Eagles in scoring during their state semifinal loss to the Cardinals.
While returning several key players, the Eagles will also have an influx of youth in the lineup, adding several incoming freshmen, including current eighth grader Jaime Gonzalez, Ashley’s younger sister.
The Eagles will also be dropping to Class 1A next year, falling below the TAPPS Class 2A enrollment cutoff number of 66.
With a combination of experience and youth, mixed with the Eagles dropping in classification, Harvest Christian appears to be a heavy favorite to return to the state tournament and possibly hoist the trophy next year.
“Obviously, I got a lot of good pieces coming back and then some eighth graders coming in,” head coach Gonzalez said. “I’ve got the pieces in there and I believe we’ll be better because of the experience and the pieces coming back. I feel good about it.”
