Red Oak Eliminates Resilient Lady Scots

By Randy Jennings / Contributor

MANSFIELD — Highland Park’s deepest girls basketball playoff run in 13 years came to an end despite a last-gasp rally in the final minute, a comeback that came very close to producing the program’s first state final-four qualification.

Instead, Red Oak held on following a fourth quarter of momentum swings for a 41-38 victory over the Lady Scots in the Class 5A Division I Region II title game on Thursday.

With 58 seconds remaining, HP trailed by five points, but 6-foot-2 junior forward Kate Danner reeled off five points inside of 30 seconds to cut the Red Oak lead to 39-38.

Momentum grew when Avery Sambrano stole a Red Oak pass at midcourt, setting up a possible go-ahead basket with 25 seconds remaining.

Lady Scots head coach Todd Monsey called his final timeout to set up the play. Danner, who led HP with a game-high 18 points, set a screen and rolled down the right side of the lane. The lead pass was accurate, but the left-handed Danner had to use her right hand on the shot. It came off the rim and into the hands of Red Oak rebounder Journee Hodges, who was quickly fouled with eight seconds on the clock.

Hodges made both free throws for a three-point lead. When Tyler Corwin’s desperation 3-pointer from distance missed the mark, Red Oak celebrated its deepest playoff advancement since 1977.

The regional title appearance for the Lady Scots (24-13) is the first for the program since 2012 when the Scots lost to West Mesquite in the Class 4A Region II title game. HP went three rounds deep in 2021 and 2022. Red Oak also ended HP’s 2021 season.

“First off, congratulations to Red Oak,” said Monsey. “They are a tough, physical team and they made one more basket than we did. But the way our girls fought back right to the end, that’s what this group is all about. They believe in each other.”

Ellington Heis, a sophomore, finished with 12 points. Corwin and junior Cate Young each had four. Young, a 5-11 forward, led the Lady Scots in rebounds.

Highland Park, which led 21-17 at halftime, was held to four field goals in the second half. The Lady Scots managed to maintain a lead throughout the third quarter, until Red Oak’s Victoria Harden tied it with a 3-pointer at the 3:20 mark of the fourth period.

The Lady Hawks (24-11) took the lead for the last time, 32-30, when Kierstyn Totten’s steal set up a layup for Kenedi Griffin with three minutes to go.

Red Oak beat Highland Park’s full-court pressure for layups by Anjelle Kerr and Totten, creating five points of separation. Totten, a 5-10 sophomore forward, led Red Oak with 14 points.

“It could have gone either way there at the end. But I was confident,” said Red Oak acting head coach Natalie Sutton, who took over when Darren Eubanks went on medical leave in October. “This team has resilience, they believe in each other, and they were going to fight no matter how hard it got.”

The future appears bright for the Lady Scots. Three starters and six others on the 12-player roster are underclassmen.

“We’re excited about where we are going,” said Monsey, who apologized for becoming a little emotional when he talked about the contributions of the three graduating seniors. “Two years ago when I was hired, those kids said, ‘We believe in you.’ Because of their belief in the program, they’ve built a legacy for us.”