Red Devils hold off Hooks in rematch, book slot in regional tournament

• The Chapel Hill Red Devils improved their record to 35-1 with a win over Hooks in the regional quarterfinals Tuesday. The Red Devils played Ponder in the regional semis Friday at Prosper High School. If Chapel Hill won, the Devils played in the regional finals Saturday afternoon. TRIBUNE PHOTO / QUINTEN BOYD

The rematch turned out to be as exciting as the first go-around.

Tuesday’s regional quarterfinal pitting the fourthranked Chapel Hill Red Devils against the fifth-ranked Hooks Hornets piqued a lot of interest as the two stateranked Northeast Texas teams with a combined record of 64-2 battled for a trip to the regional tournament. The Hornets were looking to avenge their only loss of the season while the Devils were looking for their first ever regional tournament trip on the boys side.

This meeting didn’t need a buzzer-beater to decide it, but it did require overtime after one team battled their way back from a double-digit fourth quarter deficit. Like the final round of a championship fight, both teams threw haymakers to conclude the matchup.

In the end, Chapel Hill got the best of Hooks for the second time this year as the Red Devils pulled away in overtime, 73-64, in front of a packed Hallsville Bobcat Gymnasium.

Hooks came back from down 13 points in the fourth quarter to tie the game, but Chapel Hill finished the game with a 16-7 run in overtime. Chapel Hill led by 14 at halftime.

“We knew after halftime that Hooks was going to come back with everything they had,” said Chapel Hill Head Coach David Schmitt. “It’s rare that a game as hyped as this lives up to the hype. “It was a great game; two great teams fought to the very end. Hats off to Hooks — they’re a great team. Our kids just battled. There were times they could have quit and they didn’t. They just kept finding a way to win. We were undersized and they have such great athletes, but we scrapped for every rebound and every basket. I’m really proud of them.”

The first quarter likely gave fans a flashback to the teams’ first meeting in the championship of the Tenaha Holiday Hoops Tournament, won by Chapel HIll on a buzzer-beating three by A.J. Ramirez. Both teams came out of the gates flying up and down the court and Chapel Hill taking a 16-14 lead after the first. The Devils then started the second quarter on an 11-2 run to take a 27-16 lead paced by two blocks by Caden Martinez and a three by Jaydyn Haley.

The Devils outscored Hooks in the second, 19-5. The Devils maintained a 13-point advantage after the third quarter, but the Hornets scrapped their way back into the ball game primarily behind the efforts of Jatavious “Boogie” Johnson, who seemingly answered every Chapel Hill shot with one of his own. Hooks cut the lead to one with 1:46 left in regulation and Ranson Jones went 1-2 from the free throw line to tie the game. The Hornets got the ball off the rebound of the missed free throw, but A.J. Ramirez came up with the steal and went coast to coast for the layup to give the Devils the lead back.

Boogie Johnson once again answered for the Hornets with a layup with 38 seconds left. Both teams looked to hold on for the last shot. Chapel Hill held on to the ball in the hopes of the last shot, but a traveling call against the Devils gave Hooks the ball with seven seconds left. The Hornets looked to get down the court, but the Devil defense forced a turnover when Hooks ran out of bounds looking to get out of it. Hooks forced Chapel Hill out of bounds by a toe when A.J. Ramirez looked to pivot out of the Hornet defense and ran out of room along the sideline.

“We were trying to hold for the last shot and got the ball back looking to kick it to one of our shooters,” Coach Schmitt said. “A.J.’s a sophomore and has been out here doing everything he can for us. He was trying to make a play and it just happened the way it did, but he’s done a good job.”

The Hornets threw into the paint looking for the last shot, but Julian Soto came up with a huge block to send the game into overtime.

The Devils started overtime on a hot streak thanks to their prowess at the free throw line, a steal and score by Braden Buchanan and a timely layup by Soto to put Chapel Hill up six points with 1:48 up in overtime. The Devils extended the lead to eight with under a minute left after foul trouble started to hurt the Hornets. Max Daniel and Buchanan finished the game with four consecutive free throws to put the Red Devils ahead by 11.

Hooks got a quick layup in the final 13 seconds but the Devils ran out the clock and celebrated their first ever regional tournament trip.

“We kept our heads about us when everyone else was losing theirs,” Coach Schmitt said. “The crowd was going crazy, the Hooks crowd was loud all night. We’ve talked about that all season, handling adversity and pressure.”

The Devils are enjoying their firsts this season but recognize they still have a few more to achieve.

“This is the best record we’ve ever had, but we still have unfinished business,” Coach Schmitt said. “We’re still trying to win a state championship; we’ve talked about that since the first day (of practice). This is a huge win, but we’re not done. We plan on going to regionals and giving it everything we’ve got.”

The Devils advance to this weekend’s Region II Tournament where they will take on the sixth-ranked Ponder Lions (34-6) in the regional semifinals. Coach Schmitt said he believes his team’s path to the tournament will serve them well.

“We had a tough draw starting with New Boston, Jefferson and Hooks and that served to make us what we are now,” he said. “I wouldn’t want it any other way. We’ve gotten better every week and I think we’re more ready for the regional tournament than anybody. I truly believe that.”

The Lions and Devils were the second game Friday evening after Paradise and Tatum. If Chapel Hill won Friday, they would play Saturday at 1 p.m. for a berth in the state tournament.