Second half rally leads girls’ basketball team to its second straight state title

Down by 12, Redhawks end game on 21-4 run
Facing multiple defensive looks from Timberview, including being double-teamed, sophomore Jacy Abii found herself with a clear path to the basket during Saturdays UIL 5A state championship game in San Antonios Alamodome.
Facing multiple defensive looks from Timberview, including being double-teamed, sophomore Jacy Abii found herself with a clear path to the basket during Saturday’s UIL 5A state championship game in San Antonio’s Alamodome.
Addyson Schick
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  • After winning their second straight state championship and going back to back in San Antonio, senior Keyera Roseby and sophomore Jacy Abii stand back to back as they hold the UIL 5A championship trophy.

  • Among the Redhawks making their way to San Antonio for the UIL 5A state tournament was the varsity cheer team who spent Saturday cheering for the girls’ basketball team as the Redhawks beat Mansfield Timberview 60-51.

  • Working her way towards the low post, sophomore Jacy Abii surveys the court as Timberview’s Chrishawn Coleman applies the defensive pressure. Abii and the Redhawks rallied from a 12 point deficit in the 3rd quarter to win 60-51.

  • Supporting the girls’ basketball team, several members of the Redhawks boys’ basketball team made the five journey from campus to San Antonio.

  • With his team huddled around him before the game, head coach Ross Reedy talks to the Redhawks about what they need to do in order to beat the state’s #1 ranked team: Mansfield Timberview.

  • Facing multiple defensive looks from Timberview, including being double-teamed, sophomore Jacy Abii found herself with a clear path to the basket during Saturday’s UIL 5A state championship game in San Antonio’s Alamodome.

  • Getting knocked to the floor during Saturday’s 5A state championship game, sophomore Jacy Abii is helped up by a flock of Redhawks. Abii picked up three fouls in the first half but never received a fourth foul as the Redhawks rallied from a 12 point deficit in the 3rd quarter of Saturday’s 60-51 state championship win.

  • With the UIL 5A state championship trophy in hand, the Redhawks celebrated their second straight title at midcourt of the Alamodome on Saturday.

  • From cheer, to athletic trainers, the players, and coaches, the Redhawks contingent takes over the court at the Alamodome after the girls’ basketball team wins its second straight state championship.

  • With sophomore Lilian Johnson and junior Kathryn Murphy looking on, junior Aziyah Frarrier, and sophomore Jacy Abii embrace senior Keyera Roseby after the Redhawks 60-51 win in Saturday’s UIL 5A state championship against Mansfield Timberview.

  • Finishing Saturday’s UIL 5A state championship game with 30 points, 12 rebounds, and four assists, sophomore Jacy Abii was named the tournaments Most Valuable Player presented to her by UIL Assistant Athletic Director Grace McDowell and UIL Director of Athletics Ray Zepeda.

Despite being the defending UIL 5A state champions and riding an 18-game winning streak, the odds were stacked against the girls’ basketball team in Saturday’s state championship game against Mansfield Timberview at the Alamodome in San Antonio.

The Wolves entered the contest riding a 37-game winning streak, ranked #1 in Texas, #12 in the country, and as the Dallas Morning News favorite to win the championship.

I am really proud of our resilience and resolve and to be at our best in the biggest moments,

— head coach Ross Reedy

And in a head to head match-up between the Redhawks and Wolves in November, Timberview won 40-19. 

But once again, it was the Redhawks raising the championship trophy after overcoming a 12-point deficit in the third quarter to win 60-51; the team’s third state title in the last five years. 

“Probably the toughest of all the ones we played to this point and probably the toughest season,” head coach Ross Reedy said. “We had some early disappointments and to be able to go up against one of the better teams in the nation and to be able to play in that environment and at one point being down 12 points in the second half, I am really proud of our resilience and resolve and to be at our best in the biggest moments.”

The Redhawks led 14-12 at the end of the first quarter. But that’s when Timberview got hot, and the Redhawks went cold as the Wolves went on a 17-8 run to take the halftime lead 29-22. 

But that wasn’t the Redhawks only issue. 5-star sophomore Jacy Abii, ranked as the #9 player in the class of 2026 and in contention to be one of the best players in Dallas area history, had three fouls in the first half.

“I’m not gonna lie to you. It was really scary. I mean, the whole team was just, we fragmented a little bit,” Abii said. “We lost to this team before, we lost to them by 20. Everyone just kind of thought that it was just gonna happen again. I think that’s what really hurt us at halftime. We walked into halftime, I mean, horrible energy, but I think that we calmed it down. We made sure we kept our heads up and then we came back out and turned it around.”

We made sure we kept our heads up and then we came back out and turned it around,

— sophomore Jacy Abii

Things didn’t get better at the start of the third quarter as Timberview increased its halftime lead to 12 points.

But the Redhawks began to chip away, eventually going on a 17-1 run that helped secure the win 60-51.

“I feel like it was just kind of the expectation from the start. Last year we came in thinking, oh, we’re going to get a ring,” senior Judy Aluga said. “We were always working hard to make sure that we would be able to achieve this accomplishment and it’s just great that we’ve been able to  get there for our entire team.”

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