Newcastle girls basketball cruises past Westbrook to reach first Class 1A state final

SAN ANTONIO — Newcastle clamped down on Westbrook to run away with a 59-37 victory in a Class 1A state semifinal Thursday at the Alamodome.

The Bobcats will play in their first state championship at 8:30 a.m. Saturday against No. 1 Turkey Valley or No. 16 Neches.

Defense leads way for No. 2 Newcastle

Newcastle established an early lead on the shoulders of its stifling defense.

The Bobcats scored the first seven points, keeping Westbrook off the scoreboard until the 4:32 mark. Newcastle led 15-8 after a first quarter it held the Wildcats to 3 of 11 shooting and six turnovers.

The Bobcats opened the second period on a 10-0 run and maintained at least a 14-point advantage the rest of the way.

For the game, Westbrook shot 10 of 37 (27%) and committed 14 turnovers.

"We've been preaching all year, 'If they can't score, they can't win,'" Newcastle coach Ryan Dollar said. "So we've been trying to step up defensively. We make sure that that end is really solid, and that'll take care of the offensive end, too."

Mattie Dollar is money for Newcastle

In addition to the defense, Mattie Dollar did her part in getting Newcastle in front.

Dollar, the daughter of Ryan Dollar, outscored Westbrook in the first half. The guard netted 19 points on 7 of 9 shooting and 3 of 3 from deep as the Bobcats led 35-15.

Dollar finished with 32 points, six rebounds and two assists. Mya Cabrera (15) was the only other Newcastle player with more than five points.

Tae Morris leads Westbrook in final game

Tae Morris, one of two current players part of Westbrook's first state appearance, led the team with 17 points. She added four rebounds and one assist.

The Wildcats made their second state tournament this season. In 2021, the team played Nazareth in the semifinals, although the game was not played in the Alamodome because of COVID-19 mitigation efforts. The Swiftettes won the contest 48-17 at Wolfforth Frenship's Tiger Pit.

"Our culture has only gotten stronger every year," Westbrook coach Jeff Bontrager said. "I've said this before, in November, December I don't think anybody would've been picking us to be the team here out of Region II. … We believe in our culture, and we believe that's a big part of why we're here."

CLASS 1A STATE SEMIFINAL

Newcastle 59, Westbrook 37

Westbrook  8 7 15 7 — 37

Newcastle  15 20 13 11 — 59

Westbrook (28-10): Hazel Lord 5, Raenee Rich 11, Tae Morris 17, Savannah Chavez 2, Grace Potter 2.

Newcastle (34-1): Mya Cabrera 15, Mattie Dollar 32, Sophie Terrell 2, Kenzie King 5, Camren Mallory 2, Emma Hawkins 3.

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Newcastle girls basketball cruises past Westbrook to reach first Class 1A state final