Los Owls
03-08-2012, 09:48 PM
AUSTIN — One team, one dream, and now, one final game.
The Miller boys basketball team’s remarkable playoff run will extend to the season’s ultimate day, with the school on the cusp of its first state championship in 62 years.
Not even the top-ranked team in Class 3A could stop Miller, with the No. 13 Bucs taking a 59-54 victory over No. 1 Waco La Vega in Thursday’s Class 3A state semifinal at the Frank Erwin Center.
That has Miller (30-9) in Saturday’s state final against No. 11 Argyle (30-8), which beat second-ranked Lubbock Estacado 41-34 in the other semifinal. Miller’s only other time at the state tournament was in 1950, when the Bucs – then known as Corpus Christi High – won the Class 2A championship.
“It’s a good feeling,” senior forward DaCain Levingston said. “Words can’t even describe it.
“After we beat two very good teams at regionals, we knew we could do it. We kept that in our heads and like Coach (Maurice Bastian) said, play through adversity. That’s all we had in our minds.”
La Vega (35-2) came into the game with the gaudy record and No. 1 ranking, but the Pirates, like No. 3 San Antonio Sam Houston and No. 8 Liberty Hill last weekend, found out the Bucs are hard to put away.
“All year in the playoffs, we’d get on a little run (to put the game away),” La Vega coach Clay Cody said. “It didn’t happen this time.”
Miller hardly seemed fazed by La Vega, establishing itself as the aggressor early. The Bucs led from the game’s 40-second mark until late in the third quarter, surprising many in attendance who had expected a Pirates cakewalk.
“When you play Carroll, West Oso, San Antonio Brackenridge, San Antonio Lanier – all playoff teams that have been to regionals in the past, (that prepares you),” Bastian said.
“We just wanted to do what we’ve done in the past – team pressure, full-court man defense and just be a constant pest and a thorn in their side. I don’t think La Vega has seen that kind of pressure all year.”
Still, La Vega – which led for just five minutes and 44 seconds throughout the game and never by more than four points – was up 47-45 with 3:58 left when Miller got the tying basket from a most unlikely source: sophomore center Storm Watson.
Hardly known as one of the Bucs’ top scoring options, Watson drained a jumper from the left wing to tie the score.
“I thought I was going to airball it when it went out of my hand,” Watson said. “But sure enough it went in, nothing but net.”
Bastian’s thoughts while watching from the bench?
“Please go in (because) if not, I’m going to sit you down immediately,” the coach quipped. “Believe it or not, he can hit those shots, even though that’s not the time to take those shots. . . . I’m not going to lie, we didn’t draw that up.”
Miller then took the lead for good on Tyrell Clay’s driving layup with 3:25 left. On La Vega’s ensuing possession, Clay stole the ball and made another layup for a 51-47 lead with 3:08 left.
La Vega drew within two with 2:05 to go, but the Miller came back with baskets from Dale Perryman and Marquis Lewis, with the latter sealing the game with four free throws during the final minute.
Perryman led the Bucs with 21 points – all in the final three quarters - and grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds. Perryman was particularly vexing for La Vega defenders, as he was effective in driving to the basket, but also showed a nice outside touch when needed.
“Coach always tells us not to settle for jump shots,” Perryman said. “I knew when I had a mismatch, just go to the bucket and try to draw the fouls. And I was knocking down my free throws tonight, so I was feeling pretty confident.”
Once again, the group Bastian affectionately called “mighty mites” found a way to get things done with the outcome in the balance. In each of its past three games, Miller trailed in the final four minutes of regulation against higher-ranked teams, but never seemed fazed.
“We’ve been in tough situations,” said Bastian, whose team has won nine of their 15 games decided by five points or fewer. “Situations like those just made it comfortable for us when we were confronted when La Vega closed the gap. (It’s) just keeping our composure and playing together as a team.
“We’ve grown to utilize that to our advantage and just progress each and every game.”
MILLER 59, WACO LA VEGA 54
The Miller boys basketball team’s remarkable playoff run will extend to the season’s ultimate day, with the school on the cusp of its first state championship in 62 years.
Not even the top-ranked team in Class 3A could stop Miller, with the No. 13 Bucs taking a 59-54 victory over No. 1 Waco La Vega in Thursday’s Class 3A state semifinal at the Frank Erwin Center.
That has Miller (30-9) in Saturday’s state final against No. 11 Argyle (30-8), which beat second-ranked Lubbock Estacado 41-34 in the other semifinal. Miller’s only other time at the state tournament was in 1950, when the Bucs – then known as Corpus Christi High – won the Class 2A championship.
“It’s a good feeling,” senior forward DaCain Levingston said. “Words can’t even describe it.
“After we beat two very good teams at regionals, we knew we could do it. We kept that in our heads and like Coach (Maurice Bastian) said, play through adversity. That’s all we had in our minds.”
La Vega (35-2) came into the game with the gaudy record and No. 1 ranking, but the Pirates, like No. 3 San Antonio Sam Houston and No. 8 Liberty Hill last weekend, found out the Bucs are hard to put away.
“All year in the playoffs, we’d get on a little run (to put the game away),” La Vega coach Clay Cody said. “It didn’t happen this time.”
Miller hardly seemed fazed by La Vega, establishing itself as the aggressor early. The Bucs led from the game’s 40-second mark until late in the third quarter, surprising many in attendance who had expected a Pirates cakewalk.
“When you play Carroll, West Oso, San Antonio Brackenridge, San Antonio Lanier – all playoff teams that have been to regionals in the past, (that prepares you),” Bastian said.
“We just wanted to do what we’ve done in the past – team pressure, full-court man defense and just be a constant pest and a thorn in their side. I don’t think La Vega has seen that kind of pressure all year.”
Still, La Vega – which led for just five minutes and 44 seconds throughout the game and never by more than four points – was up 47-45 with 3:58 left when Miller got the tying basket from a most unlikely source: sophomore center Storm Watson.
Hardly known as one of the Bucs’ top scoring options, Watson drained a jumper from the left wing to tie the score.
“I thought I was going to airball it when it went out of my hand,” Watson said. “But sure enough it went in, nothing but net.”
Bastian’s thoughts while watching from the bench?
“Please go in (because) if not, I’m going to sit you down immediately,” the coach quipped. “Believe it or not, he can hit those shots, even though that’s not the time to take those shots. . . . I’m not going to lie, we didn’t draw that up.”
Miller then took the lead for good on Tyrell Clay’s driving layup with 3:25 left. On La Vega’s ensuing possession, Clay stole the ball and made another layup for a 51-47 lead with 3:08 left.
La Vega drew within two with 2:05 to go, but the Miller came back with baskets from Dale Perryman and Marquis Lewis, with the latter sealing the game with four free throws during the final minute.
Perryman led the Bucs with 21 points – all in the final three quarters - and grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds. Perryman was particularly vexing for La Vega defenders, as he was effective in driving to the basket, but also showed a nice outside touch when needed.
“Coach always tells us not to settle for jump shots,” Perryman said. “I knew when I had a mismatch, just go to the bucket and try to draw the fouls. And I was knocking down my free throws tonight, so I was feeling pretty confident.”
Once again, the group Bastian affectionately called “mighty mites” found a way to get things done with the outcome in the balance. In each of its past three games, Miller trailed in the final four minutes of regulation against higher-ranked teams, but never seemed fazed.
“We’ve been in tough situations,” said Bastian, whose team has won nine of their 15 games decided by five points or fewer. “Situations like those just made it comfortable for us when we were confronted when La Vega closed the gap. (It’s) just keeping our composure and playing together as a team.
“We’ve grown to utilize that to our advantage and just progress each and every game.”
MILLER 59, WACO LA VEGA 54