Stony Point falls to Plano East for the second time this season, stumbles in UIL 6A final

SAN ANTONIO — Stony Point's only two losses this season were against the team that was crowned state champion.

The Tigers (38-2) made their first appearance at the UIL state basketball tournament, but their bid for their first championship fell short Saturday night in the Class 6A championship game against Plano East, a tough and aggressive team that improved to 40-0. The Panthers received 18 points from game MVP DJ Hall in the 53-41 victory at the Alamodome.

Stony Point's Josiah Moseley, playing his final high school game before heading to Villanova next season, had an excellent night, finishing with a team-high 18 points and 12 rebounds. The Tigers, though, committed too many turnovers (20) and had a poor shooting night (39.5% from the field).

"For a group that's never been here, for a program that is building, this (loss) is going to fuel me and fuel our program," said Tigers coach Antoine Thompson, whose team was hoping to avenge a 55-50 loss to Plano East in a December tournament.

Looking for a helping hand

Stony Point had trouble finding the bucket in the first half, shooting 39% from the field. While the Tigers have been a five-man unit for most of the playoffs, they relied too much on Moseley. The 6-foot-8 forward scored the team's first eight points, but didn't get much help from his teammates.

Guard Uzziah Buntyn, who had 19 points in a victory over Beaumont United on Friday, was held to four points while committing seven turnovers, mostly on forced drives to the hoop. Plano East led 29-24 at halftime and steadily stretched its lead throughout the second half.

Moseley did not point fingers at his teammates who had subpar performances.

"I can't blame them; maybe they were a little nervous, but we tried the best we could and gave it our all," he said.

"The level of the game might have been too much, the lights might have been too bright, but those guys came out and gave what they could," Thompson said. "Was it enough? Not tonight, but I can't discredit anything they've done all year."

Perfection was a surprise for winning team

Plano East coach Matt Wester said he was not surprised his team won the state title. The Panthers are loaded with talent, but the journey was not what he expected. Wester was asked if someone had told him before the season that he'd finish 40-0, what would you have said?

"I'd have laughed," Wester said. "Going into the final four, we had an average victory margin of 27 points a game. That's just silly. I thought we had a chance to win it all, but to do it the way we did, winning all our (playoff games) by double figures, that's just silly."

Laying a foundation in Round Rock

Thompson has reason to feel optimistic about the future, but it might be tough without Moseley. The Tigers are 70-4 in the coach's first two years as varsity coach. He noted that only three seniors will leave.

Buntyn, a junior, will be a team leader. So will fellow juniors Landon Short and Davaughn Hueitt. Losing on Saturday will be a "driving force" for the Tigers when they return in the fall, Thompson said before leaving the arena.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Stony Point boys basketball loses to Plano East in Class 6A title game