No. 1 Panhandle, No. 2 Mason a Dream Matchup for State Final

SAN ANTONIO, TX — The Mason girls basketball team spent most of the season ranked No. 2 in the state.

Despite not losing a game since November, the Cowgirls were never able to catch Panhandle for the No. 1 spot.

On Thursday, Mason will finally get its chance.

The Cowgirls (40-1), who have won 32 games in a row, will play in their first-ever state final when they meet Panhandle (37-1), which carries a 36-game winning streak into the championship contest.

The Class 2A Division I state final is set for 5 p.m. Thursday at the Alamodome in San Antonio.

Both teams dropped an early game in November and never lost again. Mason lost 44-38 to Ozona, while Panhandle fell 51-47 to Canyon.

They’ve combined for 68 wins in a row since then and have been on a collision course for months.

Panhandle certainly has the edge in program experience. The Pantherettes have played in 10 state semifinals, and they’re heading to their fifth state final. They’ve won two titles.

Last year, Panhandle lost 46-41 to eventual state champion Nocona in the state semis.

Mason recently played in its fourth state semifinal and finally broke through to its first final with Monday’s 43-22 win over San Augustine.

The Cowgirls have mostly cruised during their playoff run, though they were leading by only a point heading into the fourth quarter of their 42-29 win over No. 7 Flatonia in the regional final.

Panhandle has had back-to-back difficult games — a 41-37 win over unranked Wellington (which was a third meeting with a district rival), followed by a 41-32 victory over No. 3 Cisco.

The Pantherettes have some impressive wins on their resume, including a 42-38 victory over Shallowater, which is playing in the 3A Division I state final Friday. They also swept Gruver, which is ranked No. 10 in Class 2A, and beat a Lubbock-Cooper Liberty team ranked No. 12 in 4A.

Mason had state-ranked wins over Garden City (No. 13 in 1A), Christoval (No. 21 in 2A), Irion County (No. 23 in 1A), Corpus Christi London (No. 17 in 3A) and Flatonia (No. 7 in 2A).

Panhandle doesn’t have any six-footers on their roster, but the Pantherettes have six players that stand 5-9 or taller, so they have some significant size across the board.

Junior Riley Segura, who is 5-10, had a team-high 17 points in their last game against Cisco, and she led the way with 13 against Wellington.

Mason only has two girls that stand taller than 5-8, but they’ll be the tallest two players on the court — 6-2 senior forward Anna Marie Whitworth and 6-1 junior forward Flora Appleton.

Whitworth is averaging 21 points per game and has received several college offers, including from Angelo State University. Appleton is averaging 13 points per game.

Panhandle is led by longtime coach Rob Schmucker, who has guided the Pantherettes to the state semifinals six times and their last state title in 2017.

Mason’s head coach is Alicia Cummings, who recently earned her 400th career win. She previously had a stellar run at San Saba, where she led the program to five straight regional final appearances.

When you look at the rankings and records, No. 1 Panhandle vs. No. 2 Mason sure looks like a state championship game for the ages. Let’s hope it lives up to the hype.