The Shepherd Lady Pirates capped off an outstanding week of basketball by sweeping the Goodrich Christmas Classic and returning home with the Championship Trophy, their second straight title run at the holiday tournament.
Coach Eldridge McAdams praised both his team and the event, saying, “This tournament is a great one. It’s close to home, it gives us four games before district play, and it lets us really test out our playbook. Shepherd has been coming here for many years, even before I arrived. It’s always good to be a part of it.”
On Thursday, Shepherd made a statement with a 50-13 drubbing of Corrigan.
The Lady Pirates opened the tournament with authority, dominating Corrigan from the opening tip.
Aliyah Thomas sparked the offense with 12 points, going a perfect 2-for-2 from the free-throw line. Dakiyah Clark followed with 8 points, shooting 2-for-4 at the stripe.
Shepherd’s quarter breakdown — 11, 18, 13, and 9 points — showed early that they intended to defend last year’s title.
Friday’s semifinal brought Shepherd face-to-face with a tough TAPPS 1A opponent in Founders Christian. The game tightened in the fourth quarter, forcing both teams into strategic timeouts as momentum shifted.
Aliyah Thomas again led the offense with 8 points, including a key 3-pointer, and went 3-for-6 at the line. Jaylyn Solorzano and Kaci Roberts each buried a clutch 3-pointer to keep Shepherd ahead.
In the final seconds, Founders fouled to stop the clock, but Clark sealed the win by calmly sinking 2 of 4 free throws, sending Shepherd to the championship round.
Shepherd down tournament host Goodrich 45-26 in the title bout on Saturday.
Goodrich reached the finals after a 46-15 win over Cleveland JV and a gritty battle with Colmesneil, setting up a highly anticipated matchup with Shepherd.
The Lady Pirates came out firing, 3-point shots, fast-break layups, and a relentless defensive press that Goodrich struggled to overcome.
Goodrich’s Wyatt led her team with 11 points, but Shepherd’s balanced attack was too much, with Dakiyah Clark sinking 9 points, Jaylyn Solorzano hitting 9 points and Jaz Richardson being a perfect 2-for-2 at the free-throw line.
Shepherd’s signature full-court pressure and long-range shooting ultimately secured the championship and kept the trophy in Pirate Country.
On Dec. 2, the Lady Pirates fell to Diboll 55-22.
On Dec. 2, the Lady Trojans edged out Tarkington 38-36.
Over the weekend, Coldspring went 1-2 at the Big Sandy Tournament, winning 55-44 over Lovelady but falling 44-41 to East Chambers, both on Friday, and losing 34-25 to Big Sandy.
