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'Heartbreaking': West's last-second shot, upset bid of Pflugerville falls short
BY Kevin Hageland, khageland@starlocalnews.com
WACO -- Plano West (36-4) hadn't led Friday night's Region II Semifinal against No. 2 state-ranked Pflugerville since it was 5-3.
Yet the Lady Wolves still had a chance to advance, possessing the ball with 5.9 seconds remaining and facing a 64-63 deficit at Baylor's Ferrell Special Events Center.
The stingy Lady Panthers' defense, which had already forced 25 turnovers, clamped down as Lady Wolves freshman Natalie Chou dished the ball to senior Devri Owens, who was forced into a jumping, pump-fake 3-pointer just before the buzzer. Her shot wouldn't go in as Pflugerville (37-0) picked up just its third single-digit win of the season and a spot in the regional finals.
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Pflugerville had taken the lead moments earlier as Mykiel Burleson, who accounted for eight points and five rebounds, broke a 63-63 tie when she was fouled after an offense rebound.
"Offensive rebounding has been a weakness for us all year," said Don Patterson, West head coach.
The Lady Panthers outrebounded the Lady Wolves 46-27 overall and 20-11 on the offensive glass Friday. Jonelle Smith and Brenisha Payne led the charge with nine and seven rebounds, respectively.
"There were a few times where we were just standing around and not blocking out," Patterson said.
Burleson made 1-of-2 from the line, indicative of a night where Pflugerville was 15-of-30 and West was 15-of-29, for a 64-63 lead.
West's last-second counterattack came up short.
"The first thing I said was, 'I'm sorry,'" Owens said. "I was just trying to get the shot off, but you start thinking about all those what ifs ... maybe I should've just tried to drive in the lane and get fouled."
As it turned out, Owens had very little to apologize for.
"[Junior Tyara Warren-Cox] and Devri were basically playing with one leg out there," Patterson said. "They turned their ankles about seven minutes apart in practice Thursday morning and we didn't think we'd have them tonight; they are both so taped up tonight you wouldn't believe it."
Warren-Cox and Owens both started, logging more than 20 minutes each.
"I'm not going to lie, at the beginning of the game my ankle was killing me," Owens said. "But then the adrenaline kicks in and you just want to win."
Owens and Warren-Cox did their part with the former scoring 15 points and the latter 11.
"I'd expect nothing less from those two ... from any of these girls," Patterson said. "They all displayed so much heart and mental toughness tonight."
West, making its first regional tournament appearance since 2006-07, scored the first five points of the game, but Pflugerville responded with a 9-2 run and extended its lead to 14-10 by the end of the first quarter. The Lady Panthers also scored the first seven points of the second with Smith, who posted a game-high 16 points, leading the charge. The Lady Wolves eventually pulled to within three points, but Pflugerville closed on a 6-0 run that included back-to-back steals and layups by Taylor Ross, 13 points, for a 35-26 advantage at the break.
That lead got as big as 13 in the third and was 51-41 entering the final frame.
"I think the team, especially the seniors, stayed calm," Owens said. "This team is known for laying it all on the line and never giving up, so we wanted to make sure we put everything we had out there."
The result was an eight-turnover fourth for Pflugerville, which had 29 for the game, as West countered offensively with Warren-Cox driving to the hoop and Owens hitting from beyond the arc.
"What can I say," Patterson said. "We are down by 10 points to the No. 2 team in the state and they haven't lost all year and we are able to tie it up."
West used variety during its surge.
There was Chou (10 points, five rebounds) with a number of nifty moves in the paint, sophomore Sydney Skinner (12 points) running to the rim and the hustle of Reinhardt (10 points, 10 rebounds).
"Randi is just a warrior," Patterson said. "I don't know if she ever gets tired ... well, that's not true, I know she gets tired, but she never shows it."
West cut the deficit to its smallest since the end of the first at 61-58 after a driving layup from Warren-Cox, pulled to within 63-61 following a 3-pointer from Owens and tied the game at 63-63 with 52 seconds left thanks to a pair of free throws from Skinner.
"We knew we had to step it up," Reinhardt said, "and we just left it all out there."
Unfortunately for the Lady Wolves, that still left them one point short and at the end of their season.
"These girls knew they were the underdogs, but they came here to win," Patterson said. "So obviously they're disappointed right now, but I told them I loved them and I was proud of them. I said, 'If I had to pick a team, I would want you all on the team again.'"
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