Lady Bears fall two points short in Final Four

Overtime loss ends third trip to Final Four in seven years

Written by Madalyn Garelick

The final buzzer sounded, and the Lady Bears made their way over to the bench to hug their teammates and wipe the tears away from their eyes. They were each given a medal, and the team was given a plaque for participating in the TAPPS 3A State Tournament. Although it was not the championship trophy, it signified what was truly a remarkable season.
Brentwood Christian’s varsity girls lost 34-32 in overtime to Amarillo San Jacinto in the opening game of the Final Four on Friday, March 2, in Mansfield. San Jacinto defeated Tomball Rosehill by nine points in the championship game the next day.

The whole game was a back-and-forth battle between the two teams, and neither team ever led by more than four points. San Jacinto had a 7-6 lead after the first quarter, but the Bears were up 13-12 at halftime. The defensive struggle continued through the second half, and in the final minute a three-pointer by senior Brittany Brunson and two free throws by junior Morgan Vandygriff tied the game and sent it into overtime. After BCS took the initial lead in the extra period, the referees began calling more fouls, and San Jacinto was able to make up the deficit through free throws.
Brunson led the team with 15 points, and Vandygriff had eight. Coach Devan Loftis said the girls played really hard, especially on defense. “Offensively, I thought we were a little timid,” he said. “Our defense had a performance to be proud of. We definitely gave our best.”

Brentwood finished their amazing season with a 32-5 record, which is more wins than any other team in Lady Bears history.
“It was a successful season,” Brunson said. “We enjoyed each other while doing something we love.”

The team and fans were heartbroken after the game was over. There were nearly 100 Brentwood supporters who made the trip to the Dallas/ Ft. Worth metroplex for the game. When it ended, fans huddled around the walkway to the locker room, hugging and supporting the team as they made their way out of the gym. Many people stayed for 45 minutes after the game to out of the locker room.
School administrators worked very hard to make sure the students were very involved and spirited during the playoffs. They hyped up each playoff game by posting signs on the walls throughout the school. The Booster Club supplied rewards for students who showed up to games wearing green. In each of their three playoff victories, the stands were packed full of spirited fans supporting the team.
The week leading up to the Final Four was short, since the students had Monday and Tuesday off due to a teacher retreat. On Thursday, March 1, the cheerleaders hosted a short send-off pep rally during eighth period.

All secondary students were released at noon on Friday, and many carpooled with families or made the drive themselves so they could cheer the team on. If they paid $10, they were allowed to go on the “Fan Van” – a chartered bus that carried students, teachers, and families.
Loftis and boys’ athletic director Brian Thrift even offered to pay for 10 students to go on the bus. The bus left shortly after the early dismissal to make it to the 4:30 p.m. game, and it returned to Brentwood after 10 p.m.

The Lady Bears last made the Final Four in 2008, when they lost in the semifinals. Brentwood also made the Final Four in 2006. In Coach Loftis’ 12 seasons as head coach, his teams have won six district championships, all in the last seven years. They have also made playoffs eight years in a row, and 10 of the last 11 seasons.
Brunson was named first-team all-state; teammates Vandygriff and junior Rachel Orick received honorable mention all-state.
Senior Megan Gum joined those three as first-team all-district players. On the second team were senior Kat Taylor, junior Brooklyn Merkord, and freshman Nicole Glenn.

Following are the results of Brentwood’s previous
four games, beginning with most recent:

2/26: Regents 35-23 W
Families and students traveled early Saturday morning to St. Michaels in Southwest Austin to root for the Lady Bears in their last playoff game before the state tournament. The Bears were fired up the first half, forcing many turnovers
and holding Regents to only one point until a basket near the end made the halftime score 18-3. In the second half Regents tried to make a comeback, but Brentwood never let them closer than eight points. The crowd erupted in cheers as the buzzer sounded to end the game, and the team was headed to the Final Four in Mansfield.

2/18: Cypress Chr. 69-21 W
The Bears’ second playoff game was an easy one in front of the home crowd. Each quarter
they came out on top, led by Brunson’s 18 points and Orick’s 17 points. They ended the game with motivation to keep pushing forward to reach the Final Four.

2/14: S.A. Keystone 53-17 W
Opening the playoffs at home, the Bears were on top of the game all four quarters. Vandygriff had 18 points, her career high. This game put the girls in a great position for their next playoff game.

2/17: @Ctrl TX Chr. 47-46 W
Brentwood had already clinched first place in district before their final district game, but they wanted to end undefeated. It was a back-and-forth battle between the two teams. With three seconds to go, Brunson was fouled and Loftis called their last time out. Brunson then made her first free throw. Then, forgetting they didn’t have any time outs left, Loftis tried to call another. The referee warned Loftis, but he did not call a technical foul. Brunson intentionally missed the second free throw, and CTCS was unable to take a final shot. After shaking hands with the opponent and returning to their locker room, the refs called them back to the court to receive the technical foul and replay the end. Brunson was allowed to re-shoot her second shot, and she made it, putting the Bears up by two. CTCS was unable to convert both of their free throws to tie the game, and the Bears won – again. “It was the craziest thing I have ever seen in my 12 years of coaching,” Loftis said

State Playoff Brackets