High School

Elite five-star recruit Aaliyah Chavez scores 50 in region semifinal, has 120 points in dominant playoff run

On heels of 45-point game, nation's top 2025 girls recruit scores 50 more to keep season alive

Levi Payton

Monterey's Aaliyah Chavez (2) had 19 points in the second quarter and finished with 50 in Tuesday's Class 5A Division II Region 1 semifinal against Fort Worth Brewer. Monterey won the game 76-40 and will play Argyle in the region final on Feb. 20.
Monterey's Aaliyah Chavez (2) had 19 points in the second quarter and finished with 50 in Tuesday's Class 5A Division II Region 1 semifinal against Fort Worth Brewer. Monterey won the game 76-40 and will play Argyle in the region final on Feb. 20. / Annie Rice/For the Avalanche-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

It's big news anytime a basketball player scores 50 points in a game. But at this point, Aaliyah Chavez is making it feel routine.

She did it for the ninth time in her career on Tuesday, dropping 19 points in the second quarter and 18 in the fourth to finish with 50 as her No. 5 Lubbock Monterey Lady Plainsmen walloped Fort Worth Brewer 76-40 in a Class 5A Division II Region 1 semifinal at Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene.

The Lady Plainsmen (34-5) advance to play No. 8 Argyle in the Region 1 final at 1 p.m. Friday in Abilene.

It was the third time Chavez has scored at least 50 points this season. She dropped 53 against Pampa on Dec. 26 - part of her 124-point performance at the Caprock Classic - and 50 against Coronado Jan. 7. Her career high is 57 points, which she achieved as a junior.

In 39 games this season, Chavez has scored at least 40 points 15 times and has netted at least 30 in 29 games. Averaging 35.7 points per game, Chavez now has 1,395 points this season and 4,750 in her career.

Speaking of that 124-point tournament performance earlier this year, Chavez practically duplicated it on a bigger stage in these playoffs. After scoring 25 in Monterey's 83-26 Bi-District win over Wichita Falls Memorial on Feb. 10, she celebrated Valentine's Day 45 points in a 91-52 Area win over El Paso Burges.

Starting fast Tuesday, Brewer (26-10) jumped out to a 6-0 lead and had the Fort Worth faithful buzzing in the first two minutes of the game. But once Monterey junior guard Ambrosia Cole sank two free throws to get her squad on the board, the only buzzing the remainder of the night was the buzzsaw of Monterey's offense.

In predator fashion, it was all over once the Lady Plainsmen went on the attack. After Chavez closed the gap with a pair of free throws and a basket, she stole a pass and found Cole - who had 19 points - and her soft runner gave Monterey a 9-8 lead.

The Lady Plainsmen never trailed again. Chavez hit a pop-up jumper to cap a 12-2 Monterey run, then blocked a 3-point attempt by Julie Kasonga at the buzzer to preserve a 13-10 lead.

Then, the nation's best player took over.

Between steals, rebounds, blocked shots, assists and making shots, Chavez took control of the floor and dominated in every phase. When Kasonga made a basket to start the second quarter to cut it to 13-12, Chavez immediately answered with a basket of her own, then got a turnover and fed Ari Johnson on her first basket to make it 17-12 early in the second.

When she pulled down a rebound, ran the floor and hit a 10-footer with 3:56 left in the half, it gave Monterey a 25-17 lead and Chavez eight of her team's first 12 points in the frame. She later hit back-to-back 3s to extend Monterey's lead to 36-19 with 1:16 to go and later hit another trey with 7-seconds left in the half as the Lady Plainsmen led 39-22 at the half.

Chavez, who already had 25 points at the half, opened the third quarter with yet another 3-pointer - giving her four consecutive 3s on four shots, to make it 42-22.

And though the rout was well on at that point, Chavez wasn't done. Despite throttling it down a bit in the third with seven points, Chavez went off again in the fourth, sinking a pair of 3s and scoring 18 points - including her sixth 3-pointer of the game on her final shot - to close it out.

In an interview with Lubbock's KCBD 11 Sports after the game, Chavez was quick to praise her teammates.

"They did great," Chavez said. "Everyone did their role and (we) came out with a win.

"It's great pieces, great people that are here," she continued. "They're like sisters to me and I definitely think y'all are gonna see us at state."

A Mamba Classic MVP, McDonald's All-American and Naismith Girls Basketball Player of the Year finalist, Chavez turns her attention to Argyle, where she'll look to extend her high school career and clinch a region championship against a squad that's 32-5 and coming off a 50-34 victory over Plainview on Monday.

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Levi Payton
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