Girls Basketball Titles Handed Out In Austin Saturday

AUSTIN (AP) -- Kaitlin Walla scored 26 points and had six assists, leading top-ranked Georgetown to the Class 4A state championship Saturday with a 65-60 win over Dallas Lincoln.

Walla, a Texas State signee, scored 11 points in the fourth quarter. Her turnaround jumper with 1:37 to play gave Georgetown a 59-58 lead it never relinquished.

Lorrie Santoy scored 14 points on 7 of 10 shooting for Georgetown (34-4), which shot 58 percent to overcome nine 3-pointers by Lincoln. Georgetown dominated scoring in the paint 36-18.

Lincoln (36-4) pulled within 61-60 on Kelsey Criner's free throws with 26 seconds left before Georgetown closed it out with four free throws by Walla and Caitlyn Buttram.

Alisha Washington scored 18 points for Lincoln, but only three in the second half.

In the Class 3A match-up, Freshman Na'Teshia Owens scored 23 points to go with eight rebounds and five assists in leading Mexia past Kennedale 69-62 Saturday to win the state championship.

Owens, a high energy 5-foot-6 guard, led the Mexia attack with quick drives to the basket and pinpoint passing. Mexia (36-3) also got 14 points and 11 rebounds from Brechelle Beachum.

Beachum was 6 of 6 on free throws in the fourth quarter, including two that put Mexia ahead 66-62 with 25 seconds left.

McKinley Bostad and Autummn Williams both scored 19 points for Kennedale (31-7). A basket by Williams pulled Mexia within two points in the final minute, but she missed a shot to tie with 36 seconds left before Beachum put the game away from the line.

In Class 2A Division I, Brock's championship machine kept rolling along.

Braylee Flaska scored 16 points and Brock won its fifth consecutive Class 2A state championship with a 40-32 victory over Merkel on Saturday. Brock led 29-27 to start the fourth quarter and pulled away behind a 9-0 run keyed by Rachel Williams' 3-pointer with 3:08 to play.

Brock (35-5) is just the second team in state history to win five consecutive championships. Nazareth won six in a row in Class B and Class 1A from 1977 to 1982.

Lexie Ducat scored 10 points for Brock, which has played in the state tournament nine times since 2000 and won seven titles.

Ciara Cope scored 17 points to lead Merkel (38-2) , which made the title game in its first state tournament.

In the Class 1A Division I title game, Haily Jenkins' jumper with 13 seconds left sent Martin's Mill to 49-46 win over two-time state champion Smyer on Saturday.

Martin's Mill, which lost in the title game previous three years, twice to Smyer, tied it 46-46 on Cheyenne Brown's layup with 35 seconds left. Brown also made a free throw 1 second left for the final margin for Martin's Mill (34-5).

Jenkins scored 21 points and had the assist on Brown's tying basket. Brown had 11 points and eight rebounds.

Kennedy Farr had 20 points and Jordan Locke scored 17 for Smyer (33-7), which hadn't trailed since the opening seconds until Jenkins' game winner. Martin's Mill trailed by 10 with 4:30 left to play but closed the game with a 15-2 run.