SAGINAW — A budding postseason rivalry west of Dallas-Fort Worth should have Texas high school basketball fans very excited.
Anyone craving some serious basketball would have been satisfied Tuesday night at Saginaw High School. There, No. 13 Keller (29-5, 12-0, District 4-6A) defeated No. 3 North Crowley 71-66. Class 6A Region I Quarterfinals. Following a late free throw, senior Quinn Estep's steal led to junior Steven Ramirez for a game-clinching slam dunk as time expired.
Keller's heart-pounding win was payback for last year's 80-78 overtime loss to North Crowley (32-4, 14-0, District 3-6A) in the third round of the UIL playoffs. .
Keller coach Zach Weir said, “Just like last year when it went to overtime, the game will come down to the last minute.'' “It's like who has the ball last.”
North Crowley and Keller traded leads all night. But the second half was just barely Keller's. Leading 34-33 at halftime, Keller outscored North Crowley 37-33 in the second half.
Keller sank 7 of 8 free throws in the second half, and his four 3-pointers after intermission were the biggest difference. North Crowley went 4-of-8 from the line in the second half, but only made one three from the locker room.
“They're just finding ways to win,” Weir said. “They're doing it together. It's different guys stepping up.”
Keller started the playoffs without BYU Basketball signee Brooks Bahr being sidelined indefinitely with a lower leg injury. The three-star senior averaged 18.5 points, 6.1 rebounds and 6.4 assists per game.
Bahar served as an assistant coach on the sideline, but players like Ramirez and Estep shined on the court in Bahar's absence. Ramirez led Keller with 28 points, hitting four shots from behind the arc. Estep had 12 points.
Coach Ramirez said, “Everyone understands their roles and is playing hard as a team.''
It was a thrilling win for Keller, which will play Louisville in the Class 6A Region I semifinals on Friday.
But it was a heartbreaking loss for North Crowley, which advanced to the district quarterfinals for the 14th time Tuesday night and has appeared in nine district semifinals since winning the state championship in 2008.
North Crowley senior Kamoni Seaver led the team with 18 points, and senior KD Davis had 13 points. Freshmen Isaac Hayes and Corey Taylor also scored 13 points.
But on Tuesday, things went Keller's way.
“I hope this rivalry continues,” Weir said. “It's a fun way to end the day. It's a great atmosphere.”
Louisville 63, Jesuit 59: In the Class 6A Region I quarterfinals, Lakai Crawford led Louisville with 22 points and Landon Brown added 18 points in a close victory over Jesuit.
Louisville escaped to the next round of the playoffs despite Jesuit's Michael Grant scoring 25 points and Caleb Steger and Tre Margerson contributing 13 points. In Friday's Class 6A Region I semifinal, Louisville will face Keller, which defeated North Crowley 71-66 on Tuesday.
Rockwall 54, Wylie East 51: Rockwall, who scored 20 points in the third quarter, helped defeat Wylie East in the Class 6A Region II quarterfinals. Mason Shepherd led Rockwall with 21 points and Dovon Turner added 15 points. Shepard hit the go-ahead 3 with 1.9 seconds left in the game.
Rockwall will face either Houston Nimitz or Grand Oaks in the Class 6A Region II semifinals.
Mansfield Summit 50, Denton Ryan 28: Thanks to a 22-point win over Denton Ryan, Mansfield Summit will face Amarillo in the Class 5A Region I semifinals.
Derrick Brown, who made three 3-pointers, and Theo Brannan led Summit with 13 points.
Photo: Mansfield Summit defeats Denton Ryan on way back to Class 5A Region I semifinals.
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Faith Family 88, Frisco Panther Creek 46: The reigning Class 4A champions defeated Frisco Panther Creek in the Class 4A Region II quarterfinals. The usual suspects Dorian Onwuchekwa and Isaac Williams combined for 36 points. Onwuchekwa, a four-star senior, led Faith Family with 19 points, and Williams, a three-star senior, had 17 points and three assists.
Faith Family will face either Lincoln or Pinkston in the 4A Region II semifinals.
Frisco Lone Star 54, South Oak Cliff 45: Despite trailing at halftime entering the fourth quarter, Frisco Lone Star went on a 27-5 run to finish the game.
Lone Star struggled shooting all night, but junior Alec Jackson provided a spark on defense and senior David Oriak protected the rim. Freshman Quincy Baker made a big play late in the game and helped Lone Star find a path to victory.
In the Class 5A Region II semifinals, Lone Star will face Lancaster, the state's top-ranked Class 5A team.
Colony 61, WT White 59: With 0.2 seconds left in the game, White missed all three free throw attempts in a heartbreaking loss to The Colony in the Class 5A Region II quarterfinals.
WT White senior John Price led the team with 16 points, and four-star The Colony sophomore Dakari Spear scored 21 points. The Colony will face Longview in the Class 5A Region II semifinals.
Anna 53, Fort Worth East Hill 50: Senior Brandon Weber led Anna with 14 points, and senior Jacob Emmers, a three-star Tulsa football signee, scored 13 points for a narrow come-from-behind victory over No. 2 Fort Worth Eastern Hills. I got it.
Anna will face Carter, the No. 4 Class 4A team in the state, in the Class 4A Region II semifinals.
Carter 61, Paris 46: Senior Daniel Thomas had a double-double in Carter's win. Thomas scored his 22 points, grabbed 17 rebounds and helped the team advance to face Anna in the Class 4A Region II semifinals.
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