Boys State Tournament roundup -- Day 2

The state tournament is in full swing and Prep Ticket has a crew in Austin to keep you up to date on everything that is happening.

Dulles 71, Klein Forest 66

Klein Forest mounted one of the greatest second-half comeback's in state tournament history.

And it still it wasn't enough.

Fort Bend Dulles was too clutch and too determined to give the game away, holding off the Golden Eagles for a dramatic 71-66 victory in a Class 5A state semifinal at the Frank Erwin Center on Friday afternoon.

"Our motto is never give up and this time we just came up short in a heavyweight fight," said senior guard Elliott Lloyd.

Klein Forest (33-4) proved its worth with a remarkable third-quarter rally that got the Golden Eagles back in the game after trailing by 19 in the second half and brought a crowd of over 10,000 to its feet. Down 49-30 after a pair of Adrian Kuyinu free throws, the Golden Eagles went on a 16-4 tear that brought them within striking distance going into the fourth quarter.

Led by Lloyd's six points during that stretch, Klein Forest stole momentum back from the Vikings after a 26-point second quarter gave Dulles control of the game. The Golden Eagles kept the pressure on Dulles (34-4) with a 10-2 run that tied the game at 56-56 following a Chris Hines lay-up with four minutes left in the game.

"These guys never quit and I knew they'd find a way to get back in it," Klein Forest coach Cary Black said. "I felt like we were gonna get it."

Yet Dulles point guard Abel Galliguez answered with a 3-pointer from the right corner, giving the Vikings a 59-56 lead and setting a familiar tone for the rest of the game. Klein Forest twice tied the score in the game's closing minutes only to be turned away by Dulles.

Galliguez did the bulk of that work, hitting four of his nine three-point attempts to finish with a team-high 15 points, six assists and four rebounds.

"Stepping up in big games is what seniors are supposed to do...and that's what I tried to do," Galliguez said.

But it was Kuyinu that put the game away.

The sophomore center gave the Vikings a 66-61 lead with less than two minutes, scoring a lay-up and burying two free throws on consecutive possessions. Lloyd, who notched a team-high16 points, tried to counter for Klein Forest with a 3-pointer to cut the lead to 66-64 with 1:39 left.

Dulles never let the Golden Eagles get much closer, icing the game from the free throw line.

The Vikings took control early behind a barrage of treys from Galliguez and his twin brother Thomas. The two combined to hit four 3-pointers during a 15-2 run that turned an eight-point first-quarter deficit into a 39-28 lead.

Dulles finished the game hitting 56 percent from the field and, led by the Galliguez twins, finished with four players in double digits. Dre Thomas led all scorers with 17 points, five rebounds and three assists.

Date of Article: Fri Mar 07, 2008 6:47 pm