Follow on "X": @EmmaLLaporte
(Photo courtesy of the UIL)

San Antonio, TX-

          For the Wagner T-Birds, that common refrain echoed by coaches everywhere couldn’t be more devastatingly true than when it comes to free throws. They can win or lose a game for you. Even though the loss could be determined by looking strictly at the stat lines, the effort put forth by both teams shouldn’t get lost in the array of numbers.

The No.1 Wagner T-Birds fell to the Denton Ryan Raiders on Saturday afternoon at the Alamodome in a grueling back-and-forth battle as Ryan claimed the 5A D1 State Championship title for the first time in program history.

Ryan would use a strong 12-0 run to close out the third quarter and culminate it with just over five minutes to go on a Kaylin Jackson layup, giving them a 48-33 lead. The Lady T-birds would get no closer than ten points the rest of the way, before falling, 58-47.

From the opening tip, both the T-Birds and Raiders made it clear that they were prepared to battle to the final whistle. The first quarter was a defensive showdown, as neither team managed to score a field goal until a minute and 16 seconds had passed.

The first basket came from Utah commit LA Sneed, who would later score the final points for Wagner, marking the end of her illustrious high school career. Sneed finished with an impressive 29 points, a performance she can be proud of despite the loss.

Wagner finished the first quarter with a slight 12-11 edge, capitalizing on turnovers and shooting 30 percent from the field—just shy of their best quarter of 33 percent in the final frame.

However, Denton Ryan began to take control in the second quarter, largely thanks to Kaylin Jackson, who led a 9-0 run. Jackson, named MVP of the game, finished with 24 points and played a pivotal role in the Raiders' victory, using her aggressive play in the paint to fuel her team’s offense.

Despite the Raiders' surge, the T-Birds responded with a defensive stand that slowed down Ryan’s offensive production. Both teams went scoreless for nearly three minutes in the second quarter. Late in the period, free throws from Sneed helped tie the game at 26-26, keeping the T-Birds in contention.

The Raiders began to push ahead in the second half, knocking down a basket on nearly every possession. Ryan outshot Wagner by nearly 30 percent from the field and finished a perfect 100 percent from the free-throw line. The T-birds finished with an astonishing 31 attempts from the free throw line, but only connected on 18 of them, 58%.

While Sneed’s clutch three-pointers and aggressive drives kept the T-Birds close, they were not able to make up for the inconsistency at the free-throw line. The Raiders’ discipline in avoiding fouls, particularly with four of their five starters playing with four fouls by game’s end, was crucial in their victory.

Nevertheless, the T-Birds’ journey to the state finals was a remarkable achievement, finishing the season with a 34-4 record and earning the respect and admiration of their fans and the San Antonio community.

“It feels good to rep San Antonio,” said Wagner guard Janae Moore. “I think us and Steele repping for San Antonio is a big thing.”

Both Moore and Sneed credited their success this season to the unity and love within their team and fans.

“Wagner is a sisterhood,” said Moore. “Everyone contributes, and the support is amazing.”

“I think we have the best fanbase in the city,” Sneed added. “I don’t think anyone does it like our fans do. They are a big part of why we are here today, and they are our motivation. A lot of them in the stands are our why we play basketball”.