Troy Allen leads McMullen County over Chireno in Texas 1A boys basketball playoffs

“I was really proud of my guys they made big plays when they needed to," McMullen County head coach Jeremy Mills said.

DEL VALLE, Texas - Senior Troy Allen scored 13 of his team-high 16 points in the fourth quarter to help McMullen County beat Chireno 54-48 in the Region IV-1A Texas boys basketball semifinals at Del Valle High School.

“It was two good teams and both teams played extremely hard,” McMullen County head coach Jeremy Mills said. “I was really proud of my guys they made big plays when they needed to. Defensively we were really solid.”

The Cowboys (35-4) will face Calvert on Saturday at 12 p.m. for a spot in the UIL Class 1A state tournament in San Antonio. Calvert beat Trinidad 53-39 in the second semifinal game Friday night.

Chireno’s Risten Cook dropped a game-high 24 points and helped close the gap on McMullen County throughout the game.

The Cowboys led 50-38 with 2:31 to play after five straight points by Allen on a 3-pointer and a layup. Cook responded with a 7-0 run, including a long 3-pointer to make it a 50-45 ball game with 1:12 left in the game.

Allen went on to score four straight points, including a pair of free throws with 50.7 seconds remaining to make it a nine-point ball game. Chireno could not close the gap the last minute of the game.

McMullen County opened the game with 3-point play by Allen to take a 3-0 lead. That proved to be the last time Allen scored as he was kept scoreless until the fourth quarter when he exploded for 13 points.

Cook came down the court and connected on a 3-pointer to even things up. McMullen County’s Brayden Serrata gave the Cowboys the lead on a triple as the Cowboys were able to build a 12-9 lead with 1:06 remaining in the opening quarter. 

The Cowboys held a 23-21 edge at halftime.

McMullen County’s Shawn Heritage opened the second half red hot from the perimeter after hitting a layup and a 3-pointer to give the Cowboys a seven-point lead early in the quarter.

The Cowboys stayed within striking distance thanks to the efforts of Cook who would not go away. Cook worked hard on offense and was able to control the glass for the Owls. McMullen County was able to respond every time Chireno made a run as the Cowboys held on to a slight 34-30 heading into the final frame.

Allen made his presence felt with a quick layup to open the fourth quarter. The Cowboys built a nine-point edge at 39-30 after Heritage completed a three-point play after getting fouled hard driving to the basket.

The Owls (23-11) made it a six-point ball game at the 5:42 mark on a 3-pointer by Uziel Vargas. Cook continued to work hard for the Owls, controlling the boards and working hard on defense.

McMullen County was resilient with Isaiah Billingsley and Heritage who gave the Cowboys a 45-38 lead with 2:48 left in the game. 

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