On Thursday, the Class 3A semifinals will provide the afternoon session’s competition. A pair of teams within a couple of hours’ drive from Houston will compete for the right to play in the 3A championship game on Saturday morning.

Madisonville (31-5, Region III) vs. Texarkana Liberty-Eylau (29-8, Region II)

Madisonville is approximately 29 miles north-northwest of Huntsville on I-45 (98 miles from Houston); as the name suggests, Liberty-Eylau is a community just south of Texarkana.

Madisonville, highest-ranked remaining team (No. 3 in the state) in the TABC 3A rankings, will bring the best overall record into the tournament among the 3A semifinalists. And, thanks to their relative proximity to Houston, the Mustangs have had several opportunities to play against—and defeat—some 4A and 5A schools.

Perhaps most impressive was a holiday tournament showing where the Mustangs defeated, consecutively, Houston MacArthur, Dayton, Houston Eisenhower and Conroe Oak Ridge.

Though not a physically big team (no player is taller than 5’9”), Madisonville plays stifling defense, allowing an average of only 37.3 points per game. They have held their opponents to under 40 points in exactly half of their 36 games, including four games in which they held the opponent to totals in the twenties and five more in which they held the opponent to totals in the teens.

Their opponent, Liberty-Eylau’s Lady Leopards, brings the highest scoring team to the field. L-E averages 66.3 points per game.

And Liberty-Eylau may be riding a wave of momentum from their Region II championship game against Kennedale last Saturday. Kennedale led 59-52 with 57 seconds left to play, but the Lady Leopards finished on a 9-1 run for a 61-60 victory. Freshman Alize Pegue made her only basket of the game with 8 seconds left to send L-E to their first state tournament since 2007 and third overall.

Madisonville is playing in their first state tournament.

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Giddings (30-7, Region IV) vs. Abilene Wylie (30-9, Region II)

Giddings is on US-290, approximately 55 miles east of Austin (107 miles west of Houston); Abilene is 156 miles west of Fort Worth on I-20 and Wylie High School is in the southernmost part of the city.

Giddings and Abilene Wylie each bring long winning streaks into their semifinal matchup. Wylie has won 17 in a row and Giddings has won 18 consecutive games.

Wylie, from District 2-3A, lost its first four games of the season in a tough pre-district schedule. The Lady Bulldogs played eight teams that would go on to reach the regional tournament in their respective classifications.

The team has relied on senior leadership. Although sophomore Peyton Little leads the team in scoring, three seniors—Mackenzie Clay, Megan Rausch and Chastity Williams —are starters and are major contributors, averaging a combined 23 points per game. As a team, Wylie averages 54.6 points per game.

Out of District 26-3A, Giddings went to triple overtime in the Region IV championship game against Wimberley to earn their tournament berth.

The Lady Buffs have been led in scoring by the duo of Kayla Winkfield (sophomore, 16.1 points per game) and Jena Meuth (senior, 14.5 ppg). Senior point guard Jordan Masek (6.4 assists per game and 3.9 steals per game) has been a solid floor leader.

This is Giddings’ first tournament appearance. Abilene Wylie makes their sixth overall appearance, the first since the 2006 tournament.