Shallowater stuns No. 2 Jim Ned to advance to girls basketball state tournament
WOLFFORTH — The Shallowater Fillies are rarely underdogs at the regional tournament, but there was no denying that role Saturday.
No. 2 Jim Ned came in on a 22-game winning streak, with its only two losses to the top-ranked team in Class 4A.
With a gritty performance reminiscent of its semifinal win, Shallowater downed Jim Ned 43-37 in the Region I-3A final Saturday at Frenship's Tiger Pit. The Fillies, the only unranked team in the tournament field, trailed for less than a minute after jumping out to an early lead.
Shallowater (26-12) advances to the Class 3A tournament for the first time since winning a state championship in 2020.
"There are no words," second-year Shallowater coach Kurt Richardson said. "It's the same song, whatever verse; (the Fillies) just never quit. They just play hard the whole time. Jim Ned, they're freaking awesome, and we knew we were going to have to play our best to be able to stay with them and hang on."
The Fillies got the start they needed, too. Two 3-pointers by Carli Buckley gave the team a 6-0 advantage, one Shallowater didn't surrender until late in the third quarter. Riley Grohman made 1 of 2 free throws to put Jim Ned up 24-23, but Linley Wright converted a drive on the ensuing possession to retake the lead.
Wright, a 5-foot-2 sophomore, played beyond her years. She notched 12 points, four assists and four rebounds to earn region-tournament MVP.
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"We've been working for this all year," Wright said, "and if any team could've done it, it was definitely ours. Starting off district pretty rough, but then coming out and making it to the state tournament. No one thought we could do it, but we did and we proved everybody wrong."
Wright was there to answer when Jim Ned got within one possession. Trailing by one, Wright's and-one layup gave Shallowater the lead for good with 7 minutes, 41 seconds remaining. Jim Ned cut the deficit to 30-28, but Wright drove and kicked out to Maggie Grimes for a 3-pointer with 3:32 left.
The MVP's contributions extended to defense. Wright shadowed guard Gracee Cooley, who scored a team-high 14 points Friday against Idalou. Cooley finished with seven points, including two in the second half.
Richardson also credited Buckley, who limited Grohman to 11 points. Cooley and Grohman combined for 27 points in their semifinal win.
"We knew those were their scorers and we had to buckle down on them," Richardson said. "Linley, we told her we want you to stay right up on (Cooley) and we want to make it to where she is tired of seeing you by the end of this game. And she played it perfectly."
Jim Ned coach Hunter Cooley, who has guided his team to six consecutive region tournaments, said physicality was the difference Saturday.
"We just never could get downhill, never could turn that corner," Hunter Cooley said, "so we never really could get into our actions. Credit them. They were able to push us out. That's a good game plan by them."
On Jan. 5, the Fillies lost their third consecutive district game to drop outside of the playoff picture at 1-3. Wright said after an influential team meeting, the players came together. Shallowater has won 12 of 13 since, with its next chance to extend the hot streak coming in San Antonio.
"We knew we had to play pretty close to perfect," Richardson said. "I'm not going to say it was perfect, but we played dang good. These guys, they surprise me every day. It surprises me, but it doesn't surprise me."
REGION I-3A FINAL
Shallowater 43, Jim Ned 37
Jim Ned 3 10 11 13 — 37
Shallowater 7 11 7 18 — 43
Jim Ned (35-3): Emma Doran 2, Lexi Wishert 5, Gracee Cooley 7, Riley Grohman 11, McKenzy Morgan 10, Addison Bradshaw 2.
Shallowater (26-12): Carli Buckley 9, Linley Wright 12, Maggie Grimes 6, Keelie Williams 6, Addison Pitts 4, Sidney Venable 6.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Shallowater beats Jim Ned in region final to advance to state tournament
