Mineral Wells Area News

Both teams are two wins away from going to state

(CORRECTION: The Gordon Longhorns’ lone district loss this season was to Huckabay, not Strawn as previously written. Apologies for that error.)

By DAVID MAY

Special to Mineral Wells Area News

Could we have an all-Palo Pinto County Class 1A Region III final on Saturday afternoon?

If the Gordon Longhorns and two-time defending champs Graford Jackrabbits pull off wins Friday night, then yes, we will.

The teams play regional semifinal games Friday at Mansfield High School – where last year a more experienced Graford squad knocked a young Gordon team out of the playoffs, winning 61-37. That was in the semifinal game.

This time if they meet, it will be in the regional final game, and that winner will be off to San Antonio.

Gordon (19-6) claimed a regional quarterfinal championship on Tuesday night in Dublin, easing past Morgan, 58-31. The Longhorns used dominating first and fourth periods to put away the Eagles. Gordon opened the game with a 12-2, then outgunned Morgan, 22-8, in the final frame to blow the game open.

Morgan ended their season with a 25-2 record overall after going undefeated to win District 20.

The Dodd City Hornets await the ‘Horns at 5 p.m. Friday at MHS. They advanced after upsetting No. 2 Perrin-Whitt on Tuesday, 60-54, ending the Pirates’ stellar season at 33-5. The Pirates were runners-up in District 21, finishing behind Graford after losing twice to the Jackrabbits

The Hornets, winners of District 23, stand at 30-7 on the year. Dodd City is ranked 13^th in Class 1A by Maxpreps and ninth in the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches poll. Gordon is 10^th in the Maxpreps Class 1A rankings and eighth in the TABC poll.

The Hornets last year made it to the Region III semifinal before losing to Huckabay – which then lost to Graford in the regional final as the Jackrabbits marched on to their second straight championship.

Speaking of the top-ranked Jackrabbits (25-4), they are looking to win their third straight Class 1A title. It is their last shot at one for the foreseeable future as Graford will climb into Class 2A next season.

The ‘Rabbits face 24-11 Huckabay (ranked seventh by TABC and 16^th by Maxpreps) at 7 p.m. Friday in the MHS gym. The Indians were second to Gordon in District 19 after splitting games with the Longhorns for both teams’ only district losses.

Graford advanced to the regional tournament by getting past Slidell, 44-38, on Tuesday in Bridgeport.

The Region III final game featuring Friday’s winners is set for a 2 p.m. tipoff Saturday in Mansfield.

Tickets for the games can be purchased online here. The NFHS network is the UIL-approved network for live streaming (subscription required). You can watch the games online here.