The chants grew louder inside the Alamodome as the final minutes ticked off the clock… DeSoto Girls' Basketball had just arrived.
"DeSoto!!!! U!!!, DeSoto!!! U!!!"
"DeSoto U!!!" is the moniker for Eagle Athletics, mostly football, as the school has produced dozens of elite college prospects. They have always been loaded, but now it was the Lady Eagles' turn to bask in the spotlight.
The Lady Eagles knocked off Cy Creek in convincing fashion 53-37, making school history with its first-ever state title. DeSoto took down Cy Creek, who had been to state three of the last four years and has a DI backcourt of future Texas Longhorns in Rori Harmon and Kyndall Hunter.
To say DeSoto is long and athletic is like saying COVID-19 was sort of a "thing" – a huge understatement.
Cypress Creek got out to an early lead in the first quarter, before DeSoto coach Andrea Robinson adjusted throwing the kitchen sink at the future Longhorn duo. Their bigs got deep in the paint and the rest was history. There simply was no dealing with Sa'Myah Smith, Tionna Herron (Kentucky-commit), and Amina Muhammad – all 6-foot-4 and athletic. All are juniors.
Guards Kendall Brown (UH-signee) and Jamia Harris (Texas Tech-signee) were great in open space and on defense.
The Eagles played as hard as they are coached, and they go 8-10 deep on the bench. They are exhausting to play against.
The defense created their offense all night. Coach Robinson (third state title) continued to throw big guards and towering posts at Cy Creek all game. It seemed like there were seven Eagles on the court at one time with a harassing and connected defense that resulted in dozens of tipped passes. It was arms and legs everywhere in the paint, forcing the Cougars to alter every shot.
The scary thing is that DeSoto will be back next season, headlined by the 4-Star Smith -- also the Title Game MVP.
After tearing an ACL as a freshman, you could see the hours of rehab and work in her face as she hoisted the trophy as her teammates mobbed her.
The "U" will be back, like it or not.