AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - Duncanville’s run of perfection is over. Brianna Turner and Manvel ended it, and in doing so upended what some had called one of the great dynasties in Texas girls’ basketball.
Turner had 17 points and 17 rebounds and Manvel stunned two-time defending champion Duncanville 58-53 Saturday night, winning the Class 5A state title and ending Duncanville’s 105-game unbeaten streak.
Turner, one of the top-rated players in the country who has signed with Notre Dame, scored 14 in the second half. She had nine points in the fourth quarter and gave Manvel the lead for good with a layup in the final 2 minutes.
Duncanville guard Ariel Atkins, who has signed with Texas, scored 24 points, but fouled out in the fourth quarter. Duncanville (35-1) had four starters foul out in dropping its first loss since Dec. 3, 2011.
Jordan Hosey scored 14 points and Rangie Bessard added 10 points for Manvel (38-2), which won its first state title despite scoring just two points in the first quarter and going 14 minutes without field goal to start the game.
“They all expected us to lose,” a teary-eyed Turner said after the game. “Duncanville is a great team with great players. I wanted this so bad. It was my last high school game and I just won a state championship.”
Duncanville had won a close victory over Manvel earlier in the season and it looked early like a team riding three seasons of success would roll to another title. But after building a big early lead, Duncanville let Manvel rally and the foul trouble in the fourth quarter opened the door for the upset.
“It just wasn’t meant to be tonight,” Duncanville coach Cathy Self-Morgan said before quickly leaving the court after the trophy presentation.
Atkins dominated her matchup with Turner in the early going and scored eight points in the first quarter with a long 3-pointer in the final seconds that gave Duncanville a 10-2 lead. Manvel missed all six of its shots in the first quarter and none of them came from Turner. Eight turnovers led to all of Duncanville’s points in the first period.
“I was struggling,” Turner said. “They (Duncanville) had been here before and we had to figure it out.”
Once Manvel settled down and stopped the turnovers, the Mavericks quickly got back in the game. An 11-4 run, which included Manvel’s first field of the game by Jonee Jones, pulled Manvel back within 19-15 by halftime.
Atkins had 15 of Duncanville’s 19 points in the first half. Turner had seven rebounds, but just three points, all on free throws. She didn’t even attempt a shot in the first half.
Turner finally came to life offensively in the third with two straight baskets, including a put-back layup to make it 29-29. Atkins had five points in the quarter and Tasia Foman drew a foul on a 3-pointer at the buzzer. She made three free throws to push Duncanville back to a 36-31 lead to start the fourth.
Atkins picked up her fourth foul just 21 seconds in the final quarter. She scored two quick baskets and assisted on a Foman 3-pointer, but fouled out with 3:52 to play. She left the game with Duncanville leading 49-42.
Duncanville simply couldn’t hang on as its best players all started heading to the bench.
Turner converted a fast-break layup with 1:51 left that gave Manvel the lead at 52-51. Foman and Johnson, who combined for more than 40 points in the semifinals, both fouled out in the final minute. Turner and Rangie Bessard made five of six free throws over the final 33 seconds to put the game away.
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