Following the wild winter week that struck Texas, the girls basketball playoffs were going to be fast and furious this week with multiple playoff games being played within just a few days.
On Wednesday night, the majority of Regional Quarterfinal showdowns took place across the city, eventually setting up the Regional Semifinal matchups.
No. 18 Katy Tompkins continued its amazing season knocking off previously undefeated and 10th-ranked Fort Bend Dulles, 55-40, inside the Merrell Center. McDonald's All-American finalist Crystal Smith finished with 15 points, while fellow senior MacKenzie Durnford finished with 15 as well.
"It's huge," Katy Tompkins coach Tamatha Ray said. "[Dulles] beat teams that we got beat by. They beat George Ranch twice, we lost to George Ranch. They beat Heights, we lost to Heights ... It's hard to keep going undefeated. Period, end of story. It's hard to do. To the team that's not undefeated, it's an intangible."
VYPE Highlight 🎥: @TompkinsGBB advances to Regional Semifinals for first time since 2016 | @C1_Crystal_ had 15 and MacKenzie Durnford also had 15 | @TXHSGBB @KPRC2Ari @KPRC2RandyMc @HTownHSS @KatyISDAthletic @OTHSABClub @katyisd @AdeleyeFiyin @othsfalconfb #txhshoops pic.twitter.com/DSWpEVYwO1
— vypehouston (@vypehouston) February 25, 2021
Tompkins advances to the Regional Semifinals for only the second time in program history, where it will face Shadow Creek, which defeated Atascocita 59-51.
Even though they just upended Dulles' pursuit of the perfect season, Smith will make sure this group is refocused by the time they face the Sharks.
"We keep them level-headed," Smith said about the seniors to the rest of the team. "After the game we celebrate big in the locker room but once we go out we have to get ready for the next game. We're having fun but we just want to keep going."
.@ShadowCreekGBB is moving after beating Atascocita 59-51. @rmani_taylor1 @KPRC2 @vypehouston @lowkeyy_wavvyyy @KyrahLynnHoops pic.twitter.com/RZRa1Gx3Ly
— Alex Radow (@alexradow) February 25, 2021
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Shadow Creek 59, Atascocita 51
Heading into the season we knew Shadow Creek would be good. Making the jump from Class 5A to 6A hasn't slowed down this machine. The Sharks advanced to their first-ever Regional Semifinal as a 6A program on Wednesday with an eight-point victory over Houston power, Atascocita. Shadow Creek was led by Oklahoma-signee Bre'Yon White's 18 points in the win. R'Mani Taylor's 13 points and DaNae Williams' 10 points. Entering the year, VYPE put Shadow Creek as the preseason No. 4 team in the city. This is the program's second-straight Regional Semifinal appearance and with a win they would make history.
Regional Semifinal: Shadow Creek vs Katy Tompkins