No. 1 Wall Lady Hawks Continue Remarkable Season With Win Over Jim Ned

WALL, TX — Silas Crisler is only in his second year as the Wall girls basketball coach, but he’s well aware of the Lady Hawks’ tradition.

After all, he’s married to Maddi Chitsey, who led the team to both of its state titles in 2014 and ‘16.

The two met while playing basketball at Lubbock Christian University, and they returned to Maddi’s hometown in 2024 when Silas landed the Lady Hawks’ head coaching job.

It’s a long way from where Crisler grew up in South Carolina, but he called it a blessing that he found his way to Wall, and he said he's enjoying every second of it.

Wall began this season ranked No. 22 in the state in Class 3A, but after knocking off numerous state-ranked teams, the Lady Hawks quickly jumped all the way to No. 1.

They showed again Tuesday why they're the state's top-ranked team with an impressive 57-21 win over Jim Ned to improve to 26-3 overall and 7-0 in District 6-3A.

Wall's defense allowed Jim Ned to make only one shot in the game's opening 10 minutes.

“I just think that we played really suffocating defense,” Crisler said. “We talk about it all the time. Defense will travel, but offense, you never know. You can have a good shooting night or a bad shooting night. And when a program as highly respected as Jim Ned comes into your gym, you’ve got to bring your best.”

Senior Kennedi Graves hit four 3-pointers and led Wall with 18 points, while sophomore Jewels Johnson added 10 points, along with eight rebounds, two assists and two steals.

Crisler said his girls have embraced the pressure that comes with being the No. 1-ranked team in the state.

“When we got ranked (No. 1) early in the season and then lost to Canyon to drop back down (to No. 2), the first thing they said was, ‘Alright, who do we have to beat to get back to No. 1?’” Crisler said. “So they have that mindset of accepting the challenge. Why run away from it? It’s the elephant in the room. It’s on social media. The kids see it. It’s all over the place. So why not just embrace it?”

For all of Wall’s tradition, the Lady Hawks haven’t been past the third round of the playoffs since 2019, when they reached the state semifinals.

Last year’s team lost 53-48 in the second round to Tolar. Wall lost five players from that team, including two starters.

“We lost our all-state point guard (Brylyn Watts), so we had to replace some offense, but I knew we had kids from JV coming up, and I knew we had some kids on varsity that would have an opportunity to take that step, because there’d be more opportunities for them to get on the floor and to get shots,” Crisler said. “So I saw the growth there, and I think they’ve just jumped into it fully and embraced their roles.”

Wall has 10 players on this year’s varsity roster, and the team’s camaraderie and unselfishness have helped the Lady Hawks go to another level, Crisler said. 

“The kids absolutely love each other. They trust one another and they trust in their coaches. I tell them all the time how proud I am just to be their coach. It’s an honor to watch them grow like they have,” Crisler said. “I can do so many combinations, and they will just thrive with one another, whether it’s the last person off the bench or someone playing the whole game, it’s about the team, and that’s the biggest thing — just this togetherness to go do something special.”

Wall has five more games remaining in the regular season before it embarks on what it hopes will be a memorable playoff run.

The Lady Hawks will play again Friday in San Angelo against TLCA.

Jim Ned, which fell to 13-13 overall and 5-2 in district with Tuesday’s loss, was led by Lily Bryant, who had 13 points and four steals. The Lady Indians’ next game is also against TLCA at home on Tuesday, Jan. 27.

Wall 57, Jim Ned 21

Jim Ned   3   4   9   5 — 21

Wall   14   9   11   23 — 57

JIM NED — Lily Bryant 15, Ashlyn Dacus 6. 

WALL — Kennedi Graves 18, Kathrine Lewis 5, Jewels Johnson 10, Kylee Holik 3, Kenzzie Covert 4, Brynlee Graves 7, Maci Wagoner 6, Emery Harper 4.