AMARILLO — On Tuesday night, the Amarillo High girls basketball team picked up a massive 73-66 win against Monterey, a District 3-5A rival and the No. 1-ranked team in Texas.
The Lady Sandies, ranked No. 9 in the latest Texas Association of Basketball Coaches Top 25 poll, were led by 19 points from Ca’Nia Mitchell. Five-star prospect Aaliyah Chavez was the Lady Plainsmen’s leading scorer, tallying 30 points in the loss.
Game-changing plays
Both teams traded buckets in the first half, but Amarillo High was able to get to the free-throw line enough to build a 36-31 halftime lead. Chavez was the game’s leading scorer at the break with 11 points.
Early in the third quarter, Chavez buried a step-back 3-pointer, followed by a Monterey score on the next possession to tie the game at 36. The Lady Sandies and Lady Plainsmen continued to go back and forth for most of the third quarter, but Amarillo High went on 7-0 run to close out the frame.
AHS built on its lead early in the fourth quarter, going ahead 61-51 with around five minutes left in the game. MHS tried to keep pace with the Lady Sandies, but were unable to mount a comeback, as Jeff Williams’ team held on to win 73-66.
They said it
Amarillo High head coach Jeff Williams: “We want to hold our home court advantage and win at home, so it’s a big win. I mean, gosh almighty, you’ve got the No. 1 player in the nation right there. You know, last chance we have to play those guys. I’m going to miss that, because it was such a challenge. (The win) means a lot.”
Amarillo High wing Bella Edwards: “It was a great atmosphere. Seeing all of our fans coming out to come watch us and I feel like some of them were coming out to watch Aaliyah (Chavez) play (against) us for the last time. I feel like it was great to actually play in a big atmosphere.”
Monterey guard Aaliyah Chavez: “I think we’re all going to be focused now. Definitely, in practice, making sure we’re ready for the next game. It’s definitely going to help us in the future, for the big games.”
Up next
Amarillo High will play its final regular season game on Feb. 4, finishing district play at Lubbock-Cooper. Monterey will look to rebound from the loss against the Lady Pirates on Jan. 31.
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Amarillo High takes down Aaliyah Chavez, Monterey in top-10 clash
