By ANDREW CRUM, Staff Writer
MANSFIELD— Brownsville First Baptist held off a third-quarter rally by Mission Juan Diego Academy and pulled away for a 50-38 victory over the Lady Lions in a TAPPS Class 1A state semifinal at Lake Ridge High School.
The win earns the Crusaders a shot at the Class 1A state title against Granbury North Central Texas Academy at 1 p.m. today at Timberview High School.
First Baptist was familiar with Mission Juan Diego, having played them four times already this season. That familiarity paid off in the end for the Crusaders, who won four of the five games.
Once again, the game came down to defense.
“We knew what to expect,” First Baptist coach Terry Roberts said. “We locked them down defensively again tonight. I know 38 points seems like a lot, but that team is used to scoring 50 points a game.”
Freshman Andrea Barrios led the Crusaders with 20 points, Sandy Masso had 10 points and Haley Boone chipped in eight points. The senior trio of Ana Balcazar, Elisabeth Roberts and Audrey Bogart combined for 11 points for First Baptist.
The Crusaders held a 12-point lead at one point in the first half, 27-15, but Mission Juan Diego didn’t go away. The Lady Lions cut the deficit to two points during the third quarter but didn’t grab the lead as First Baptist held off the rally.
“They outscored us by three points (in the third quarter),” Roberts said. “But we got back in control during the fourth quarter. It was a dogfight.”
Andrew Crum covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6629 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @andrewmcrum.