Hurricanes within six late in third, but Madison dominates final quarter

Sam Houston’s young team stormed out of the locker room at halftime and made a game of it, but top-ranked Dallas Madison had more gas left in the tank thereafter and advanced to the Class 3A finals Thursday afternnoon at the Frank Erwin Center in Austin in the semifinals.

Dallas Madison (29-3), No. 6 in the final Texas Association of Basketball Coaches state poll, pulled away with a 10-3 spurt over a four-and-a-half-minute stretch that spanned the fourth quarters to win 77-62. Sam Houston had closed to 57-51 with 1:02 remaining in the third quarter after falling behind by 15 points with about two minutes until halftime.

With the victory, the Trojans advanced to play Houston Yates (24-8), which handed Kennedale its first loss of the season 86-79 in the other semifinal, at 10 a.m. Saturday for the 3A championship.

The No. 6 Hurricanes, who finished 27-10, put together an impressive run of their own to climb back into the game.

Down 44-31, they fell behind by 15 again with a little less than six minutes to play on a basket from Madison’s Cameron Bryant (19 points, 5 assists). A three-point basket from Hurricanes senior Jordon Harris (29 points, 6 rebounds, 3 steals) started the flurry with 5:35 left in the quarter. Sophomore wing Robert Christian (12 points, 6 rebounds, 3 steals) followed with a layup that put Sam Houston within 10 points for the first time in eight minutes.

Sam Houston 6-foot-3 junior Devin Allen (8 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists) scored off a rebound and Harris recorded a layup that slashed Madison’s lead to 51-42 midway through the third quarter. The Hurricanes weren’t able to capitalize on a steal from freshman Jawon Anderson (10 points), but Anderson scored in the paint off another Madison turnover.

Trailing by seven, Sam Houston watched the Trojans score the next two baskets, including a fast-break layup by Roderick Johnson off a steal. However, one of Allen’s five 3-pointers and a jumper from Christian brought the Hurricanes within 57-51.

Sam Houston had a chance to cut the lead to four, but Trojans center Johnathan Turner (23 points, 10 rebounds) blocked a shot. Madison guard Armon Gilder (29 points, 11 rebounds) converted a steal into a layup with one second left in the third quarter to boost the lead to eight.

A fast-break layup from Christian off a steal from Harris and a free throw from sophomore Raymonte Prime (5 rebounds), Sam Houston’s quarterback in football season, had the Hurricanes within seven points with 5:42 to play. However, the Trojans scored the next six points to end the threat.

“We tried to full-court press,” Sam Houston coach Ike Thornton said, “but it (cost us) some layups. It’s tough to get back in the game if you aren’t able to extend pressure.”

As they have throughout the postseason, the Hurricanes got off to a good start in the state semifinal.

Christian connected on a jumper 24 seconds into the game for a 2-0 lead. The Trojans scored the next six, but Harris cut Madison’s lead to 6-4 with a layup off a steal from Anderson. Allen dished to Harris for a three-pointer and Sam Houston was within 8-7 with 4:24 left in the opening quarter.

Another three-pointer from Harris made it Madison 12-10 with 3:06 remaining in the first quarter. Harris averaged 24.3 points in the Hurricanes’ six postseason games.

Sam Houston had a chance to tie the score following a Trojans miss, but committed a turnover. Dallas Madison ran off the next six points and launched a 13-4 run that firmly asserted its control.

“This is a special group,” Thornton said. “I’m very proud of them. They have come together.”

Sam Houston shot in the 46- to 48-percent range through most of the game, but fell off to 41.9 percent at the end, after trying to shoot their way back into it with three-pointers. Dallas Madison made 46 percent of its 63 field-goal attempts.

The Hurricanes, who played no one taller than the 6-3 Allen, did an admirable job on the boards against the taller Trojans. Dallas Madison had a slim 40-36 rebounding advantage.

Statistically, the most revealing numbers were in the turnover and free throw discrepancies. Madison finished with 14 turnovers to Sam Houston’s 22, which led to 25 Trojans points and helped them estalish a 26-10 advantage in fast-break points. The Trojans made 17 of 24 free throws (70.2 percent), while the Hurricanes were four of 10 from the line (40 percent).

The loss ended a 15-game winning streak for Sam Houston. It was the school’s sixth state tournament appearance and first since 2005.

The Hurricanes will lose only Harris and wing Brandon Seals, who grabbed a rebound in the waning moments, to graduation. They will move up to Class 5A and compete in District 28-5A next season.

“This is the first time Sam Houston has been to state in some years,” Anderson said. “It was just a great experience.”