Dillon Battie boosts Lancaster late in defensive win over Amarillo High in 5A semifinal

SAN ANTONIO — Lancaster found enough offense to emerge with a 44-31 win over Amarillo High in a Class 5A boys basketball state semifinal Thursday at the Alamodome.

Engaged in a defensive slugfest for the better part of three quarters, Tigers forward Dillon Battie caught fire late to push the team into a state title game Saturday against Killeen Ellison.

Braden Hausen scored a game-high 14 points for the Golden Sandstorm, which finished the season 34-5.

Scoring at a premium

Through a combination of defense, off-shooting and stalling, the teams went into halftime with a combined 21 points.

The Tigers frustrated Amarillo early, using their size to hold Amarillo to two first-quarter points. Lancaster’s 6-foot-8 Battie had a block as the Sandies shot 1-for-8 from the field. Amarillo missed 10 consecutive shots until Hausen’s bucket brought the team within 11-4 in the second quarter.

That opened an offensive onslaught for the Sandies, who hit three consecutive shots. That included the final points of the half to make the deficit 13-8. Neither team scored over the final 3 minutes, 31 seconds, with Lancaster holding the ball for 2:40 on its last possession.

Amarillo coach Jason Pillion said he was overall pleased with his team’s execution.

“We shot the ball so well all season long,” Pillion said. “You get in something like Alamome and you’re shooting in a cavern. Stuff happens. I couldn’t be prouder of how our kids played. … They played great offensively, other than we didn’t make shots. Sometimes that happens in the game of basketball.

Amarillo High's Braden Hausen shoots the ball against Lancaster in a boys Class 5A state semifinal, Thursday, March 7, 2024, at the Alamodome in San Antonio.

“But the things that we had complete control over, we were very impressive. We couldn’t make a shot.”

It didn’t take much to look like an offensive explosion Thursday, and Battie made it happen late.

The Temple signee scored nine points in the fourth quarter on 3-for-3 shooting. He also made all three attempts from the charity stripe, including a three-point play that put Lancaster up 24-18 early in the frame.

He’s been big all year like that,” Lancaster coach Ferrin Douglas said. “He pulled us through. He made some tough plays in traffic. Not stuff I drew up, but he did a great job. I’m proud of him tonight.”

Battie and Deontrell Barrett each finished with a team-high 13 points.

Amarillo High can’t take advantage of rebounding edge

The Sandies controlled the glass, especially on offense. Amarillo took advantage of long rebounds to come down with 10 offensive boards. But that didn’t translate to many points.

Breaking News: What A Great Joy As Chicago Bulls Are Set To… see… more

Breaking News: Congratulations As Mathieu Van DER poel Is Set To…

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski Confirms The Signing Of Giannis Antetokounmpo Favorite Player To Milwaukee Bucks

Pierre-Luc Dubois The Capitals Newest Player Reviews His Preference To Play With Russian Team Mates.

A very sad news for Jerry West of the Lakers.

Pittsburgh Steelers New Strategy That Will Help The Team

Dillon Battie boosts Lancaster late in defensive win over Amarillo High in 5A semifinal

Dillon Battie boosts Lancaster late in defensive win over Amarillo High in 5A semifinal

Scoring at a premium

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Dillon Battie boosts Lancaster late in defensive win over Amarillo High in 5A semifinal

Scoring at a premium

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Related News