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WEB EXCLUSIVE: Third time's a charm: Lady Cards learn from previous state tourney mishaps
BY Matt Welch, mwelch@starlocalnews.com
MANSFIELD -- Saturday afternoon was a long time coming for John Paul II athletics.
Enduring the requisite growing pains for any upstart school after it opened in 2005, the Cardinals had been on the cusp on TAPPS' supremacy in recent years.
The girls basketball team advanced to the state finals in 2011 and the boys followed suit in 2012. The boys soccer team advanced to the state finals during its 2011-12 campaign and the baseball team has a number of regional tournament appearances on its ledger.
"It means a whole lot," said Mike Martin, John Paul head coach. "Our athletic director (Rich) Gaffney and our president (Thomas) Pore built that school from the ground up and they've watched it grow. All the sports are getting competitive and I think this is a tribute to our administration for that to happen and put us in a situation where we have a chance to be successful."
Saturday was especially ceremonious for the Lady Cardinals.
Making their third straight appearance at the state tournament, the Lady Cardinals had previously suffered a 62-58 loss to Liberty in the 2011 title game and were ousted in the semifinals by Ursuline, 50-36, last season.
"That (Ursuline) loss hasn't left our mind," said Kindell Texada, John Paul senior. "Ever since this season started, that loss hasn't skipped a beat. We think about that game all the time and we told ourselves before the game that we're not doing that again. We're not having that feeling of what if and we could we have done. We're going to finish this the way we know how."
That Ursuline setback saw John Paul make just seven shots from the field in the team's coldest shooting night of the season. The Lady Cardinals had a chance to avenge those demons Saturday when they trailed Liberty, 16-11, at halftime after recording just three field goals. Instead of staying on the same trek that doomed the team's playoff run one year prior, John Paul responded by making 13 shots in the second half and outscoring the Lady Warriors, 35-23.
"Once we all relaxed, let the game come to us and do what we do best," Texada said, "we couldn't be stopped."
"We learned that we have to execute plays right," added Claire Ricketts, John Paul junior. "We have to be calm and under control and know that one mistake doesn't change the game for us and one great thing doesn't change the game."
It was a fitting moment for Ricketts, the lone carryover from the 2011 runner-up.
"A lot of the girls starting for [Argyle] were freshmen," Ricketts said. "I was a freshman when we were in the finals two years ago and you could see the maturity level that comes with that. I think that's what separated us today. We've been through this before, so I feel like our maturity and knowing how to remain calm is what set us apart."
Texada can attest to that development, despite capping only her second season with John Paul. Prior, the point-forward plied her craft at Frisco Wakeland.
There, the Lady Wolverines finished as the Class 4A runner-up in 2010. The frustrations from years' past came to a head in Saturday's second half when Texada scored 15 of her game-high 21 points.
"I've been so close every year," Texada said, "so to finally get it done my senior year is the biggest weight lifted off my shoulders."
The same returners who experienced the Ursuline loss firsthand followed suit, with junior Arabella DeAngelis scoring all 10 of her points in the second half -- including a 3-pointer that gave the Lady Cardinals a 41-35 lead with 90 seconds to play. Senior Kelsey Sweeney terrorized the glass for 10 rebounds, junior Keaton Nelligan facilitated the show and Ricketts was there in the end to knock down the game-sealing free throws.
In just one half, the Lady Cardinals embraced their halftime gut check, erased years of postseason mishaps and became the first John Paul team to win a state title.
"Just being able to make history at a school is an amazing thing," Texada said. "They'll always remember that the first team to do it was the girls basketball team and to be a part of that is something I'll never take for granted."
For continued news and coverage on the local sports scene, follow @MWelchSCN on Twitter.
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