WTW Advances, Panthers Fall in Playoffs

With two playoff wins now under its belt. W.T. White continues to make history during this girls basketball season.

The Longhorns knocked off Frisco Lone Star 45-39 on Thursday to reach the 30-win plateau for the year. The last 12 of those victories have come in succession.

Thursday’s clash in the Class 5A Region II area round was the first time since late December that WTW — which won the District 11-5A regular-season title in unbeaten fashion — had been truly tested, and the only game all season in which the margin of victory has been under 10 points.

Of course, the challenges only get more difficult from here, as the Longhorns (30-3) will look to continue their postseason run against 12-5A champion Mesquite Poteet in the regional quarterfinals. The Pirates (24-12) topped Frisco Wakeland on Thursday to advance.

Meanwhile, Hillcrest was overwhelmed in its second-round matchup against defending 5A state champion Frisco Liberty, which eliminated the Panthers 60-21 on Thursday.

The Redhawks (29-7) used their smothering defense to race to a 37-11 halftime advantage. They had more points in the first quarter than the Panthers (23-9) managed in the entire game.

Liberty posted its 13th consecutive victory, and has held each of those opponents under 30 points. Sophomore standout Jacy Abii led the Redhawks with 25 points.

Hillcrest senior Emma Yurich, who scored 26 points in a first-round win over North Mesquite earlier this week, had a team-high eight points. Yurich surpassed the 1,000-point career scoring plateau earlier this season.