No. 5 Lubbock Monterey Girls Edge Argyle, Advance to State Semifinals

ABILENE, TX — For the first time in 35 years, the Lubbock Monterey girls basketball team is headed to the state semifinals.

The No. 5-ranked Lady Plainsmen held off a late charge from No. 8 Argyle on Friday for a 58-52 win in their Class 5A Division II regional final at Abilene Christian University’s Moody Coliseum.

Monterey (35-5) will play the winner of Frisco Wakeland and Frisco Memorial at a site and time to be determined next week.

Monterey star Aaliyah Chavez, who scored 50 points in her last game, was held to just 17 points Friday as Argyle threw constant double teams at her, relentlessly trying to get the ball out of her hands.

Other players stepped up for Monterey, including junior guard Ambrosia Cole, who had a game-high 19 points. Ari Johnson added 11 points and was a force with her defense and rebounding.

Monterey led by as many as 14 points in the third quarter, but Argyle kept rallying back.

The Lady Eagles got as close as 53-52 with about two minutes remaining, and they even had a chance to take the lead, but Monterey didn’t allow another point from there.

Cole sank a pair of clutch free throws with 29 seconds remaining for a 55-52 lead, and Chavez iced it with two more FTs with 12.9 seconds to play.

“I just think it was a classic, great game between two very good teams,” Monterey head coach Jill Schneider said. “We’d make a run, then they’d make a run, and that’s what you expect. Good teams are going to do that. Fortunately, we had one more little run in the last minute that gave us just enough of a cushion to pull away.”

Monterey is aiming for its first state title since 1981. This is the fifth time in program history the Lady Plainsmen have reached the state semifinals and the first since 1990.

Argyle's season ended with a record of 32-6. The Lady Eagles' storied program has won six state titles.

Argyle was led by Kennedy Hafer with 12 points, Landry Murphy with 11 and Brooklynn Northeim with 10.

Monterey jumped out to a 14-4 lead by the end of the first quarter, stifling Argyle with its defense.

The Lady Plainsmen were on top 25-13 before a late Argyle run cut the gap to 25-20 at halftime.

Monterey led 42-36 after the third quarter. Argyle got within a point on two occasions in the fourth quarter. 

"We've been playing really great defense down the stretch, but we played with an intensity against them that I haven't seen from this team before," Schneider said. "Clearly, we got tired and weren't able to apply the same kind of pressure in the third quarter, but we found a way to get back in the latter stages of the fourth quarter. We just stepped up and made some big plays defensively and got it done."

This story will be updated.