Free throws are the difference in Keller’s win over North Crowley in regional quarters

Keller guard Cambridge Mathews poured in 24 points and Renee Chmiel added 18 as the Indians downed North Crowley, 76-66, in a Class 6A Region 1 quarterfinal Thursday night at Arlington ISD Athletics Center.

Keller (21-6) will try to avenge a 12-point loss earlier in the season to South Grand Prairie (23-2) when the two meet in the regional semifinals at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Coppell HS.

North Crowley (17-8), in the quarterfinals for the first time since 2011, never led, but the Panthers were never really out of the game. When it came down to it, the most glaring difference in the game was Keller hitting 22 of 25 free throws to 18 of 33 for North Crowley.

“That was huge,” said Mathews, a junior who missed her first free throw before hitting eight in a row. “We knew that they were going to be physical and we got in the bonus pretty early so we knew ahead of time that free throws were going to be a big portion of this game.

“We work on free throws pretty much every practice and make sure that we do it when we’re tired and it really translates into the game.”

“Missed free throws,” lamented North Crowley coach Lori Shead. “Our free throw percentage has been really good coming down the stretch, but tonight we just couldn’t knock them down.”

Keller’s constant defensive harassment spurred on by an 11-player rotation helped the Indians keep enough pressure on to force North Crowley into a 35% (23 of 65) shooting night while the Indians shot 55% (18 of 33) from inside the arc and 47% (24 of 51) overall.

“Our girls just work so hard and are so aggressive,” said Keller coach Kate Goldberg, “They don’t look big, but they play big which is ultimately what you want.”

And when the Panthers did make a run, Keller would hit a big shot to keep or extend the lead.

Just after NC tied the game at 14, Keller’s Jaeden Gillam drained a three to keep the lead. Gabby Czajkowski did the same when the Panthers pulled to within 19-18.

Mathews did it twice, hitting threes when Keller’s lead was cut to 26-22 with 3:01 left in the second quarter and again after North Crowley pulled to within 33-28 early in the third period.

“I can’t say enough about Cambridge,” said Goldberg. “She’s the hardest worker that I’ve ever coached. She works out so hard sometimes that she can’t go any longer, it’s incredible.”

Mathews, who added five assists, two rebounds and two steals, is usually in the gym before school at 5:45 in the morning working out before her classes and is there after everyone leaves according to Goldberg.

“She’s clutch, but I think that our ball rotation and the ability of our other players to be a threat can open her up,” said Goldberg.

Keller’s lead ballooned to 66-50 at the 4:52 mark of the fourth quarter after a basket by Czajkowski. The Panthers followed with a 9-0 run capped by a three-pointer by Maiyah Watkins with 2:49 left, but it was too little to late.

“They don’t stop,” said Goldberg of her team’s tenacity despite its youth. “We talked about it all year to ‘weather the storm’ and then that snow storm came which is hilarious. Seriously, they work out with anything that they can get their hands on.”

During the recent “snow-pocalypse” several Keller players sent videos to Goldberg with them running outside in the snow, running on treadmills, and doing Nike workouts. They would work out two to three hours a day without being asked to.

“When you have a team that special that wants it, even more than the coaches do, you can’t beat that,” said Goldberg. “You don’t have to tell them to do things. They just do it automatically because they want it that bad.”

Gillam had 10 points and five rebounds for Keller with Czajkowski, one of two seniors on the team, contributing seven points and nine rebounds.

Senior Jade Goynes had a huge game for North Crowley with 19 points, nine rebounds and four steals. Three additional Panthers finished in double-digit scoring including Maiyah Watkins (12 points, seven rebounds), Alaina Payne (10 points) and Brandy Jones (10 points, six rebounds).

North Crowley is set to graduate eight seniors off this team including Goynes and Payne who both reached the 1,000 point plateau this year. Goynes, Payne and Chrystian Cunningham have all been with Shead since they were freshmen.

“Those girls are near and dear to my heart, but all my kids that have come through North Crowley I’ve been blessed to coach are near and dear to my heart,” said Shead. “But those three kids have been with me for all four years of their high school career and I’m going to miss them. I’m going to miss all of my seniors.”

The cupboard is hardly bare for North Crowley, however.

“I’m just looking forward to reloading. I don’t want to call it rebuilding,” said Shead. “I have Brandy Jones, a sophomore, and my big Amiya Hopkins is a sophomore. I have some youngsters I can add off my JV and freshman teams so we’ll be all right...the sun’s going to come up.”