Dallas Christian fends off Second Baptist for TAPPS Title
In their third state title appearance, the Dallas Christian Lady Chargers claimed their third TAPPS state title with a 47-41 victory over Second Baptist. Led by Caitlyn Jordan- who scored a game-high 17 points- the Lady Chargers maintained the lead throughout the entire game.
Dallas Christian got on the board first with a pair of free throws. From there, the Lady Chargers set what would be the tempo for the rest of the game as they took a quick and early 10- 4 lead in the first quarter. With back-to-back-to-back three-pointers from Second Baptist, the Lady Chargers' lead began to narrow as the time ticked down towards halftime. "I wasn't worried," said Dallas Christian girls basketball coach Calvin Miles. "We jumped out. We were on fire, got a little relaxed, had a couple of turnovers that cost us, and we kind of lost focus on who was guarding. We knew that they could shoot threes; we knew they could run down the court, catch, and shoot." Headed into halftime, Dallas Christian was up by one score. Coach Miles says his advice to his team during halftime was simple: "Don't lose the lead, keep your composure, and let's go out there and play DC basketball."
The trick to winning their third state title? Making it a team effort. "I told everybody to go out there and do their job. I don't need any superstars, I need ball players with a high IQ right now," Miles told his team before taking the court in the second half of play. "It worked out for us- it really did. Our girls played hard and it was a great game."
It was a great game, indeed. Both teams continued to fight their way through each quarter with Second Baptist on the tails of Dallas Christian the entire way. After an injury on the court took out one of Second Baptist's athletes with just about a minute and a half to play- there was a heightened sense of urgency. With the continued spirit of champions, Dallas Christian finished strong and rushed the court with a dog pile after the final whistle. "I told [the girls]: you've got to want it more than I do. I can't play it; I can coach it, but you guys have got to play it. Y'all play the way I coach and we're going to be alright."
"We've been preparing [the athletes] all season. We walk through the gym and only have one mission," coach Miles told VYPE. "Our mission was to get here, kick the door in this year, and win a state championship and let me tell you: they were focused." Coach Miles talked a little bit about how injuries and other extracurricular riddled his team with a shake up; he had to bring in some JV players "just to stay alive," he said. "They kept fighting and I told them: guys, this is going to make you better down the road- trust me. Our ending will be better than our beginning... and it was."
Check out more of the VYPE DFW interview with Dallas Christian's head coach below!