Shadow Creek made it to the region final in Class 5A and now they advanced to the 6A regional championship game, but came up short against a strong Atascocita squad that is returning to the 6A state tournament.
Atascocita (34-6) will be making the program’s third appearance at state, joining the 2016 and 2021 squads. The Eagles lost to Austin Westlake in the semifinals last year.
No. 14 Shadow Creek (29-4) saw another banner season end with the loss. The Sharks shared the District 23-6A title with Dawson and defeated Clear Springs, Summer Creek, Dickinson and Bellaire in the first four rounds of the playoffs. Shadow Creek finished with 20-plus wins for the fifth straight season.
The Eagles took the first quarter 22-19 after taking early control of the game with 3-pointers finding the mark. Shadow Creek’s Cameron Amboree hit a late long-range shot to cut the margin to three points.
Atascocita started the second period with a 6-0 run for a 28-19 advantage, but the Sharks were not going away as they ended the period with a 12-3 run to make the score 31-31 at intermission.
The second half belonged to Atascocita as they opened with a 15-2 run to build a commanding 46-33 lead.
The Eagles to a 52-40 lead into the final stanza and led by as many as 21 points before closing out the game 67-49 to advance to the 6A state basketball tournament.
Senior Camron Amboree collected 18 for Shadow Creek, and senior Shawn Jones finished with 14.
Shadow Creek 73 – Bellaire 42
In a dominating performance, the Shadow Creek Sharks advanced to the Class 6A Region III finals after getting a lopsided 73-42 win over the Bellaire Cardinals.
The Sharks, who have won nine straight games, will take on No. 9 Atascocita (32-6) in the regional championship.
“This is a great moment for our seniors,” Shadow Creek coach David President said. “The job’s not over. Focus is going to be at an all-time high.”
Senior Shawn Jones led the way for Shadow Creek with 18 points and 14 rebounds. Freshman Bryce Jackson came off the bench to score 18 points, going 4-for-6 from 3-point range. Senior Camron Amboree finished with 14 points, three steals and no turnovers.
The Sharks trailed for most of the opening period, but got some momentum to post a 12-10 lead.
Shadow Creek continued to build on the lead and at one point went up 29-18 on a 3-pointer from Lucious Jackson with 2:23 on the clock. The Sharks closed out the first half with a 29-22 halftime lead.
The Sharks went on a 16-4 run in the third quarter, capped by a fastbreak layup from Amboree. That gave them a commanding 47-30 lead. Shadow Creek finished out the period with a 52-34 advantage.
Shadow Creek closed out the game 21-8 in the final frame to get the 73-42 win.
