Lady Scots Get Another Shot at State
The deeper it goes in the playoffs, the better Highland Park seems to play. Stop me if you’ve heard this before.
Indeed, the Lady Scots always seem to rise to the occasion during postseason play, and this year’s run to their fourth state tournament in the past five years has been particularly impressive, even by HP standards.
HP has dispatched a pair of previously unbeaten, nationally ranked foes in Sachse and Klein. And the Lady Scots have toppled the other three opponents by a combined margin of 18-0. HP dominated Rockwall 4-0 in the Class 6A Region II final.
This weekend, the Lady Scots (23-2-2) will have their long-awaited chance to avenge a runner-up finish from last spring. They will face San Antonio MacArthur in the 6A state semifinals on Friday in Georgetown.
The winner will meet either Flower Mound or Katy Cinco Ranch for the state title on Saturday.
After finishing in second place in District 10-6A during the regular season and twice being a definitive underdog in the first five rounds of the playoffs, HP might enter the state tournament as the favorite, given its experience on the big stage. The Lady Scots have won five state crowns, most recently in 2012, when its current group of seniors was in eighth grade.
Their offensive balance this season has been impressive, with three players – Savanna Jones, Rachel Wasserman, and Riley Malone – accumulating more than 20 goals apiece this season. Each of them has at least one multi-goal game in the playoffs.
The Brahmas (21-5) have made a phenomenal postseason surge after entering the playoffs as the third seed from District 26-6A. MacArthur, which blanked San Antonio O’Connor 1-0 in the Region IV final, is making its first state tournament appearance since 2008.
