By MIKE GEGENHEIMER, Journal Sports
HAMMOND — All streaks must eventually come to an end.
Parkway’s came to an abrupt halt Saturday night as the two-time defending state champions struggled after halftime and fell 54-41 to No. 3 Zachary in the Division I Non-Select girls basketball final at the University Center.
For the first time since 2022, the top-seeded Lady Panthers (29-5) didn’t get the chance to celebrate on their five-hour drive back to Bossier City.
“I would like to think we didn’t allow the outside noise to affect us,” Parkway coach Gloria Williams said. “For a while now we’ve had a target on our back, from the beginning of the season to up until now. I know we came in as the No. 1 seed, but to me we were the underdog. If you look at the size up here, we’re probably one of the smallest teams in 5A. So credit to these young ladies because they played a heck of a game.”
Parkway cruised to championships in 2023 and 2024, beating Ponchatoula by 23 points and Denham Springs by 28, respectively.
But from the onset Saturday night, it was evident Zachary was not going down without a fight. The Broncos held a slight 15-13 lead by the end of the first quarter and only trailed by two at halftime.
Parkway senior Dakota Howard was the driving force behind everything her team did well in the championship game. She was a one-woman wrecking crew in the first half with 14 points, seven rebounds, four steals and a block.
The second half was a different story, however. Howard was stopped in her tracks with just four points over the final two periods on a 1-of-9 clip from the field.
Zachary coach Tami Reynolds-McClure said the Broncos keyed on Howard during halftime adjustments, particularly in not allowing her to drive to the basket so freely.
Howard still finished with outstanding numbers: 18 points, 16 rebounds, six steals, two assists and a block. Fellow senior Savannah Wilson had 11 points and three assists.
“We both wanted it and we all knew that,” Howard said. “I knew we had to come in and defend. We just couldn’t get what we wanted in the basket.”
Meanwhile, the Broncos caught fire in the second half, out shooting Parkway 11-of-22 to 7-of-30 from the field. Zachary also dominated the boards 26-13 in the second half, and by 49-25 overall, including 23 offensive rebounds.
With the last of four lead changes, the Broncos moved on top and led 34-32 going to the last eight minutes. In the fourth quarter, they outscored the Lady Panthers 20-9. Parkway twice fell behind by eight, rallied within 44-41 on a Wilson jumper with 3:17 to go, but came up empty on its last eight possessions, six ending on missed shots and no offensive rebounds.
Zachary guard Tiarra McPipe was named the game’s Most Outstanding Player for her effort. She provided the Broncos with 17 points and eight rebounds.
This is Zachary’s first state championship in almost 100 years, dating back to 1927, more than four decades prior to the adoption of 5-on-5 girls basketball in Louisiana.
“Once we got that momentum they believed,” Reynolds-McClure said. “And the crowd got into it. You hear that defense, you feel that love from the stands, I think it gets them pumped. It was just an amazing run.”
Williams summed up Parkway’s dry spell in the second half to fatigue and poor luck. Neither her nor Howard thought Zachary did anything in particular to trip them, but rather it was as simple as shots not falling when they needed them to.
“(We) wanted it,” Williams said. “I’m not going to say they didn’t want it. But I think sometimes you can want it too much and sometimes if the ball isn’t falling for you, no matter what you do, it’s going to be difficult to come out with a win. Credit to Zachary.”
Contact Mike at sports@journalservicesllc.com