BY ADAM ZUVANICH l AVALANCHE-JOURNAL

Spotted: Plains vs Roscoe

AUSTIN – When Tim Brock threw down a thunderous dunk with 3:28 left in the fourth quarter Saturday morning, the Plains Cowboys could most almost feel the gold medals hanging around their necks.

Brock’s breakaway basket gave the Cowboys a two-point lead and loads of momentum in their Class 1A Division I state championship game against Roscoe, and it lifted the entire Plains bench – as well as most of the 8,150 fans at the Frank Erwin Center – out of their seats.

But the other scrappy West Texas team simply called timeout and collected itself, then proceeded to make the kind of the history the second-ranked Cowboys thought they’d make themselves. No. 7 Roscoe rallied to force overtime and then pulled away in the final minute of the extra period, securing its first state championship with a 52-48 victory.

“It’s the state championship, and you’ve got to play pretty much perfect,” said Brock, one of four Plains seniors who were trying to capture the program’s first state title. “We fell asleep, and they got some baskets on us and got back into it. We just couldn’t respond.”

No one responded better than Roscoe senior Jared Villanueva, who shook off a scoreless first half to tally 13 of his 15 points in the fourth quarter and overtime. The 6-foot senior converted a three-point play to give the Plowboys a 50-46 lead with 51 seconds left – and send Plains center Chris Gonzales to the bench with five fouls – and then he added two more free throws to help seal the victory.
Villanueva, who was averaging a team-high 24 points per game coming on, was 0 of 5 from the field in the first half as the Plowboys trailed 27-22 at the break.

“I was on a scoring drought, and I told myself I’ve got to help out my teammates because they’re relying on me,” said Villanueva, who earned most valuable player honors. “So I tried to step up my game.”

His twin brother, Jacob, carried the Plowboys (28-4) in the first half, when he scored 12 of his 14 points. And after Plains (32-2) went on an 11-0 run to turn a three-point deficit into a 24-16 lead, Jacob Villanueva hit back-to-back 3-pointers to put Roscoe right back in it.

Sophomore forward Caden Smith, nicknamed “Big Country” because he resembles former Oklahoma State star Bryant Reeves, also was a hero for the Plowboys. He finished with a team-high 17 points and nine rebounds, and he made the game-tying basket late in regulation and the go-ahead bucket in overtime.
“He stepped up in a big-time way,” Jacob Villanueva said. “It’s unbelievable. I’m proud of him.”

The Plowboys needed every bit of it to overcome an inspired performance by Brock, who poured in a game-high 22 points while adding eight rebounds, three assists and three blocked shots. Plains’ 6-2 guard scored 16 points and made all three of his 3-pointers in the first half, which he capped with a near 30-footer at the buzzer.

In the Cowboys’ semifinal win over San Antonio Stacey on Thursday, Brock was 0 of 12 from the field and scored only five points.

“I had the jitters pretty much the whole game on Thursday, and I just couldn’t seem to get rid of them,” he said. “But today I came into the game more focused and more calm and relaxed, knowing that this was my last game. I had to play my best, and I did.”

Plains also got 11 points and 14 rebounds from sophomore center Jaaron Bell – who had a double-double on Thursday as well – and Gonzales chipped in seven points and 13 rebounds.

The Cowboys were disappointed to come so close to winning a state title only to fall short, but they also felt a sense of accomplishment. They took a 30-game winning streak into Saturday’s game, and they were playing at the state tournament for the first time in 50 years.

“It’s been an awesome year, an awesome ride,” Plains coach Michael Davis said. “Thirty-two and two, we don’t need to hang our heads now. It’s been a great year, and it’s been fun. It’s tough to lose that last one, but I’m super proud of these guys.”

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CLASS 1A DIVISION I STATE CHAMPIONSHIP
at Frank Erwin Center, Austin

ROSCOE 52, PLAINS 48, OT
ROSCOE – Smith 8 1-4 17, Howard 3 0-1 6, Jar. Villanueva 6 3-5 15, Williams 0 0-0 0, Jac. Villanueva 5 1-5 14, Gutierrez 0 0-0 0. Totals 22 5-15 52.

PLAINS – Gonzales 3 1-5 7, Bell 5 1-3 11, Dy. DeBusk 2 0-0 5, T. Brock 7 5-6 22, Barrientes 1 0-0 3, Craft 0 0-0 0. Totals 18 7-14 48.

Roscoe 11 11 13 6 11 - 52
Plains 12 15 8 6 7 - 48
3-point goals: Roscoe 3 (Jac. Villanueva 3), Plains 5 (T. Brock 3, Dy. DeBusk, Barrientes). Total fouls: Roscoe 10, Plains 18. Fouled out: Plains, Gonzales. Technical fouls: none. Records: Roscoe 28-4, Plains 32-2.

Game day blog

Plowboys come out firing, but Plains doesn’t flinch – 9:38 am
Roscoe asserting itself in fourth– 9:42 am
Cowboys come right back– 9:46 am
Brock raises the roof, Plains’ chances of winning a title – 9:49 am
Coming down to the wire – 9:52 am
Roscoe throws away gift, we’re going to OT9:57 am
Roscoe taking over – 10:07 am
Plowboys deny Plains in OT – 10:12 am