DeSoto Girls Basketball Wins First State Championship; Area Recap

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DeSoto Girls basketball team
DeSoto Girls basketball team Photo courtesy DeSoto ISD

Congratulations to DeSoto Lady Eagles On Their 1st State Championship

The DeSoto Lady Eagles did not lose a basketball game in their home state of Texas this season, and they capped that performance by winning the first state championship in the program’s history on March 11 in San Antonio.

The Lady Eagles (28-2) won the Class 6A state championship with a 53-37 victory against Houston Cypress Creek, the No. 1 team in the state, which entered the title game with a 32-0 record.

The Lady Eagles’ only loss on the court this season was 50-46 at Oklahoma City Classen.

They later had a 1-0 forfeit to Cedar Hill.

The Lady Eagles, ranked No. 2 in the final regular-season poll by the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches, reached the summit after falling 49-46 to Converse Judson in 2019.

Their only other finals appearance came in 2008, when they fell 50-33 to Houston Cypress Fairbanks.

On their way to the state championship, the Lady Eagles disposed of 2020 state champion and District 11 rival No. 3 Duncanville 52-39 in the Region II final. They followed with a 63-52 win over No. 4 South Grand Prairie in the state semifinals.

The Lady Warriors were making their first state semifinals appearance in program history.

No team got within double digits of the Lady Eagles in their dominant postseason run. They won their first four playoff games by an average margin of 39 points.

12 Area Girls Basketball Teams Advanced To Postseason

In all, 12 area girls basketball teams advanced to the postseason, and 11 of those reached at least the second round. Area teams recorded a combined 30-12 postseason record.

The greatest playoff representation came from District 11-6A, where all four playoff teams won at least one postseason game, one team reached the state finals, another a regional final, and another the third round. In all, the league had a 13-4 postseason record.

In fact, two of the teams (Duncanville and Cedar Hill) were eliminated by DeSoto.

Three area teams from District 8-5A (Mansfield Legacy, Summit and Timberview) combined to all least at least the second round.

Here is a recap of area playoff teams and how they fared:

Class 6A

DeSoto – Won District 11. State rank at end of regular season, 2. Defeated Killeen Shoemaker in bidistrict, 69-18; defeated Tyler Legacy in area, 65-26; defeated Sasche in Region II quarterfinals, 56-23; defeated Houston Langham Creek in regional semifinals, 74-41; defeated Duncanville in regional final, 52-39; defeated South Grand Prairie in state semifinals, 63-52; defeated Houston Cypress Creek in state final, 53-37.

South Grand Prairie – Won District 8. State rank, 4. Defeated Lake Highlands in bidistrict, 81-14; defeated Allen in area, 61-45; defeated Plano in Region I quarterfinals, 60-51; defeated Keller in regional semifinals, 71-37; defeated Plano East in regional final, 63-51; lost to DeSoto in state semifinals, 63-52.

Duncanville – Second in District 11. State rank, 3. Defeated Killeen Ellison in bidistrict, 104-32; defeated Mesquite Horn in area, 82-52; defeated Cedar Hill in Region II quarterfinals, 78-63; defeated Houston Klein Oak in regional semifinals, 84-36; lost to DeSoto in regional final, 52-39.

Cedar Hill – Third in District 11. State rank, 23. Defeated Temple in bidistrict, 55-34; defeated Dallas Skyline in area, 41-34; lost to Duncanville in Region II quarterfinals, 78-63.

Mansfield – Fourth in District 11. Defeated Killeen Harker Heights in bidistrict, 55-34; lost to Sasche in area, 56-54.

Class 5A

Red Oak – Won District 14. State rank, 19. Defeated Crandall in bidistrict, 57-41; defeated Mount Pleasant in area, 87-49; defeated Highland Park in Region II quarterfinals, 54-48; lost to Wylie in regional semifinals, 65-60.

Mansfield Legacy – Won District 8. State rank, 7. Defeated Saginaw in bidistrict, 56-27; defeated Granbury in area, 64-34; defeated Grapevine in Region I quarterfinals, 49-28; lost to Lubbock Cooper in regional semifinals, 59-54.

Mansfield Timberview – Third in District 8. Defeated Fort Worth Trimble Tech in bidistrict, 82-39; lost to Lake Dallas in area, 51-43.

Mansfield Summit – Fourth in District 8. Defeated Fort Worth Wyatt in bidistrict, 56-43; lost to Grapevine in area, 45-43.

Lancaster – Won District 12. Defeated Carrollton Creekview in bidistrict, 67-24; lost to Frisco Memorial in area, 49-31.

Midlothian – Second in District 14. State rank, 18. Lost to Royse City in bidistrict, 42-38.

Class 4A

Midlothian Heritage – Won District 11. State rank, 12. Defeated Dallas Roosevelt in bidistrict, 76-20; defeated Irving Ranch View in area, 61-54; defeated Melissa in Region II quarterfinals, 50-46; lost to Gilmer in regional semifinals, 35-33.

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Rick Mauch
Rick Mauch is a veteran of more than four decades in the media. He began writing in high school and immediately went into broadcasting for almost a decade after graduating, working his way to morning drive in Birmingham, Alabama. However, realizing how much he missed writing (though he did continue to do some during his time in top-40 radio), Rick returned to what he loved and has been doing it ever since. Rick's career has spanned a plethora of media outlets, including community journalism, sports, entertainment, politics and more. He's worked in print, broadcast and online media. He also spent several years doing public relations for a children's home in East Texas - still writing on the side, of course. When he's not writing, Rick loves to play golf and do Bigfoot research. He's an avid believer. He also made his first hole-in-one in June of 2020. Rick is married to Junell Mauch. They have five children and three granddaughters