BAIRD, TX — In the area-round playoff matchup against Tolar in Baird on Friday night, the No. 1-ranked Wall Lady Hawks found themselves trailing at halftime for one of the few times this season.
Slow shooting early on, combined with a hot start from Tolar, put the Lady Hawks in an unfamiliar position. However, with adversity came the chance to overcome it, and the Lady Hawks delivered. Wall smothered Tolar in the final two quarters to claim the win, 58-42.
"This environment, this playoff atmosphere is exactly what we needed," head coach Silas Crisler said. "We needed that tonight to prepare us for what is coming ahead."
The Lady Hawks struggled shooting from the field early as Tolar built a three-point advantage after the first quarter. Down 12-9, the Lady Hawks began to turn things around in the second quarter and pulled within 24-22 at halftime.
2025-26 Area Champions: Wall Lady Hawks
The Lady Hawks tied the game early in the third and then took the lead on a 10-0 run. Tolar continued to play tough and proved resilient behind the skills of the Lady Rattlers' Jaycee Jones. She stopped the run on a three-point play with just over five minutes remaining in the period.
But it was Wall's relentless defensive pressure that led to a continuous headache for Tolar. The Lady Hawks caused several turnovers that led to quick points on the other end of the floor, allowing Wall to finally build a lead. Sophomore point guard Jewels Johnson hit two crucial three-point shots late in the quarter to put the Lady Hawks out ahead.
Wall outscored the Lady Rattlers 21-12 in the third and carried a seven-point lead into the final quarter.
In the fourth quarter, neither team showed any quit as defensive pressure mounted on both sides. In the end, it came down to ball control and free throws. The Lady Hawks dominated both to seal the win, including six straight made free thows from Johnson down the stretch. The Lady Hawks ended up on cruise control in the final minutes to seal the win.
2025-26 Wall Lady Hawks Basketball after the Area Championship
Johnson led all scorers with 22 points. When asked how she did, the young lady praised her fellow teammates and showed the character that makes a team go from good to great.
"It was my teammates out here spacing the floor for me," Johnson said. "Getting to my pull-up, getting to my shot, they do everything. They helped me when I was not doing too good scoring the first half. They just keep telling me to shoot the ball and [the shots] will fall. They were right."
The young point guard continues to excel under pressure. In addition to her scoring, she facilitated the offense to open up opportunities for others.
"She's a special player," Crisler said. "As young as she is, I put a lot of responsibility on her to, you know, handle the basketball and get others involved. She has no problem doing whatever the game plan is ... sometimes she has her sophomore moments, but I'm willing to live with it because I know how dedicated she is to the game of basketball."
Wall Lady Hawks' Jewels Johnson
Johnson was joined on the score sheet by several excellent offensive performances, including Kathrine Lewis with 11 points, Kennedi Graves with 7, McKenzie Lopez with 6, Maci Wagoner with 5, Kylee Holik with 4 and Kenzzie Covert with 3.
Wall improved its record to 33-3, while Tolar's season ended at 24-10. It was a rematch of last year's second-round game, when Tolar ended Wall's year.
Next up, the No. 1 Lady Hawks head to the Class 3A Division II regional semifinals, where they will face off with No. 3-ranked Idalou (30-4) at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Western Texas College in Snyder.
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