The Santa Maria Cougars saw their season come to an end in a 66-45 loss against Thrall in the Region IV-2A final on Saturday at Buda Johnson High School in Buda.
Thrall stormed out of the gate with a 26-point first quarter to take a commanding 26-14 lead after one.
The Tigers took a 42-24 lead into the half, but Santa Maria put up a fight during the third and fourth quarters to keep the second half competitive.
The Cougars drew even with the Tigers after a 10-10 third quarter, but Santa Maria didn’t have enough firepower to complete the comeback attempt as Thrall punched its ticket to the UIL Class 2A State Tournament next week at the Alamodome.
District 32-2A champion Santa Maria finishes its season 20-13 overall and put together a 16-game winning streak after a 4-12 start to the year. The Cougars’ regional final round playoff appearance is the first in program history led by third-year head coach Johnny Cipriano.
Santa Maria made its way to the Region IV-2A final by picking up postseason wins over Three Rivers (64-54), Johnson City (57-47), San Antonio Lee Academy (54-47) and Sabine Pass (58-51).
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