Day 1of UIL State Semi-Finals

Happy 51 Gail Borden County 27

Happy avenged its semifinal loss from a year ago to beat Borden County to move into the 1A state championship game. It was a case of too much Sterling White for Borden County to handle, as the 6-foot-4 Happy senior posted a double-double of 16 points and 11 boards to lead the Cowboys. Trever Phillips hit 4-threes on the way to scoring 14 while Colton McCarley added 10. Borden County hung tough for a half, only trailing by 8 at the break, before an 18-2 third quarter blew the game open for Happy.

The Cowboys shot 80% from behind the arc in the third. Borden County was paced by Easton Edwards and Ben Justice who combined for 12 in a tough shooting game for the Coyotes. Happy moves on to play in the 1A final at 8:30 Saturday while Borden County finishes the year at 22-4.

Lipan 61 Dime Box 47

The No.1 Lipan Indians weathered a late charge from No.9 Dime Box to advance into the 1A state championship game to face Happy. Lipan had a clear height advantage over the Longhorns from Dime Box, winning the battle on the boards 33-24. Senior Tate Phillips and junior Ty Bryant both posted double-doubles and combined for 33 Indian points. Dime Box's Robert San Juan led all scorers with 18 points, while teammate Brandon Moore chipped in with 14.

Lipan came out of the gate fast and jumped out to a 12-4 lead in the first quarter they would never give up. The Indians led by as many as 18 before the Longhorns cut it to 48-40 with under four minutes to go, but Lipan went 9 for 9 from the free throw line in the fourth to ice the game. Lipan moved to 35-3 on the year while region 4 champs Dime Box ended their season at 27-9.

3A Semi-Finals

Dallas Madison 82 Santa Rosa 44

Dallas Madison proved themselves to be a worthy No.1 team in their afternoon semifinal, knocking off No.2 Santa Rosa by 38. Santa Rosa came into the game being tipped by many for an upset, but a 3 for 36 (8.3%) performance from beyond the arc doomed them to a lopsided defeat.

Madison dominated the boards all game, outrebounding the Warriors 66-35. All five Madison starters scored double digits, led by 20 from Patrick Terry. Six-foot-6 senior Jemichael Bowens was one of three Trojans to have a double-double in the game, finishing with a star line of 19 points and 14 rebounds to go with 3 assists.

Leo Lara put up a game-high 21 points in Santa Rosa's first trip back to state since 2009. The Warriors did not make a 3-pt field goal in the first half as Madison built a 26 point lead at the break. Madison will advance to the class 3A championship game, while Santa Rosa ends an impressive year at 34-4.

Brock 46 Jarrell 43

The Brock Eagles are going back to the state finals for the second time in three years after a gritty three point win over Jarrell. The game was actually a rematch of a game played earlier in the year at the Whataburger Tournament, which No.3 Jarrell won 58-53. After trailing by 10 in the early fourth quarter, Jarrell turned up the pressure and fought back to cut their deficit to 2 with under two minutes to play. However, No.5 Brock took care of business at the free throw line down the stretch to see out the game.

The game featured two stout defenses and a much slower pace than the other semifinal in 3A. Both teams shot under 33% from the floor. Scott Thomas led the Eagles with 11, while Amery Hughes hit three treys en route to scoring 10. TJ Sykes was high point for the game, dropping 15 for Jarrell with Kyle Spencer adding 12. Brock advances to face No.1 ranked Dallas Madison in the 3A final Saturday morning.

5A Semi-Finals

Mansfield Timberview 68 Corpus Christi Veterans Memorial 48

Mansfield Timberview's vaunted trio of Chris Mullins, Tim Johnson, and Isaac Likekele were simply too much for Veterans Memorial to handle in the first 5A semi-final of the night, as the Wolves won 68-48. Veterans Memorial opened up the game in a stifling 2-3 zone (product of their Syracuse alum coach, Xzavier Gaines) that kept Timberview's offense in check and had the Eagles within 4 at the break. The second half was a different story, as Mullins got into his mid-range game and the Timberview offense started finding gaps in the zone as part of an 18-4 run right out of halftime to put the game out of reach.

Likekele posted a double-double of 14 points and 13 boards, while Mullins and Johnson combined to go for 41. Veterans Memorial's junior big man Will Chayer had an impressive night, totaling 13 points and 13 rebounds. Memorial's season ended at 31-7 and state semifinalists, despite it only being the school's second year of existence. Timberview advances to the 5A final to be played Saturday afternoon.

Fort Bend Marshall 82 Justin Northwest 59

Fort Bend Marshall outlasted Justin Northwest and pulled away late in the final game of day 1 of the UIL State Basketball Championships. Marshall's Tajzmel Sherman dropped 25 to out-duel Northwest's sophomore sensation Avery Anderson, who finished with 23. Marshall started the faster of the two teams, but Northwest fought back to take their only lead of the game at the 4:25 mark of the 2nd quarter. Marshall then went on a 15-4 run before the half and never looked back.

Jabari Rice and John Walker III combined for 33 as the Buffaloes celebrated their first ever state tournament appearance with a victory. Northwest, who also were making their first appearance at state, cut the lead to 10 in the third before Marshall went on a run to wrap up the game for good. Jordan Keys scored 12 for the Texans as they wrapped up their season at 32-6. Marshall will advance to the 5A Final to face Mansfield Timberview in a DFW vs. Houston matchup Saturday afternoon.