Knowing they had to beat Blanco to win the District 5-3A championship outright February 4, the Llano High School Lady Jackets did just that in convincing fashion.
Llano never trailed in a 38-14 blowout of the Lady Panthers.
Now the Lady Jackets (13-12, 9-1) will play Clyde at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, February 11, at Bangs High School
After the customary postgame handshakes with Blanco, athletic director Matt Green presented the gold ball to head coach Jay Parker, who raised it high as the Lady Jackets cheered and some teared up.
It was a long time coming.
The last district title was won 17 years earlier when assistant coach Cassidy Rabb was a player. Rabb's accuracy in shooting 3-pointers from any spot around the arc stretched defenses.The Lady Jackets' commitment to playing tenacious defense did more than give opponents trouble. And the Lady Jackets' commitment to bringing their best every day was a testament to the standards of the program.
So when senior forward Amelia Robinson accepted the trophy from Parker and made sure senior guard Ciara Hays could hold it, too, it was a symbol of accomplishing the goal the team had fixated on from the start that was reminiscent of what made the program a state powerhouse two decades earlier.
This was Robinson's second district title this year. She led the Llano volleyball team to the district crown last semester. The last time Llano won the district championships in volleyball and girls basketball in the same school year was 1971.
"It hadn't been done in so long and it's like, 'Ok, we did it in volleyball.' I don't see why we can't do it in basketball to prove to everyone that Llano girl sports is better than it has been in the past and it'll just keep getting better," she said. "Both of the district championships were so fun, and these girls are on my family. Now I've only been here for two years – we're all so close. I love everyone so much and every single person contributed."
Hays, who also is the co-captain of the cheer squad, said winning the district championship "literally meant everything" to her.
"Every single basketball player on varsity played volleyball except for me," she said. "And so preseason was really tough at first. Whenever the girls got back, I felt kind of out of place. They're my family and my best friends, but I didn't want to intrude into their group. I knew that they were capable of this. I'm just glad that I get to be a part of another district championship that they've earned because I know that it's not me. I've never been a part of a team that actually works like this. They've just been amazing. We just come together."
Llano led from the start thanks to a 7-2 advantage after the first quarter that went to 18-5 at the half. Blanco returned to the court for the second half determined to make a game of it by lining up three shooters around the 3-point line.
But the Lady Jackets never let that happen. How? By continuing to execute their offense the same way. Hays and junior guard Sydney Kuykendall slowed the pace and deliberately spread the floor. When junior post Peyton Parrish was on the court with Robinson, Robinson went to power forward. That gave Llano a fourth ball handler, while Parrish handled the duties in the lane. Patience was the key as the Lady Jackets passed the ball to set up wide-open jumpers from different spots for Kuykendall and Robinson.
But one play in particular was a dagger to Blanco's heart.
The Lady Panthers came out and challenged the Lady Jackets with pressure that forced the ball handlers to back away from the basket. But Robinson slipped by her defender and went back door. No Lady Panther was within 10 feet of her as she caught the ball and easily scored from two feet.
Needless to say, the Lady Jackets kept their double-digit lead 24-11 going into the final stanza.
Just how dominate were the Lady Jackets defensively? Only two Lady Panthers — sophomore guard Ashton Uballe and freshman guard Kinley Boyd — scored. Each ended the contest with 7 points by making a total of five 2-pointers and 4 free throws.
Robinson led with 16 points followed by Kuykendall with 10, sophomore guard Addison Prime and Parrish each scored 4, and sophomore forward Hailey Lucas and Hays each finished with 2.
Going into the final game of the regular season, Ingram Tom Moore needed to beat Florence, which it did 43-23, and Blanco needed to beat Llano for a co-district championship. Ingram and Llano then had to decide if they were going to do a coin flip or play for seeding. But with Llano beating Blanco, none of that mattered.
"The Ingram game (a 26-23 overtime loss January 23) left a black eye," Parker said. "We felt like we could have finished even better than what we did, obviously, and we did not want to have to flip or play them again, so that was a motivation when you've already played a team twice, so I didn't want to go a third time."
Both seniors noted that it got tiring to simply make the playoffs by finishing third or fourth in the district standings. As a class, these seniors wanted so much more for the department and the community.
"We are here to make a statement," Hays said. "Doesn't matter what sport you put us in, we're going to prove to you that we are worth that district championship title."
Robinson, who moved from Lago Vista two years ago, recalled seeing Llano on the schedule and automatically believing that was a win before the contest began. And she and her teammates were on a mission to change that perception.
"Hopefully no one says that anymore for the girls," she said.
