BAIRD, TX — In the Area 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 an Area Championship, 58-42.
"This environment, this playoff atmosphere is exactly what we needed," Head Coach Sylas Chrysler said after the win. "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 entering the second quarter. Down 12-9, the Lady Hawks turned things around quickly in the second quarter. Wall outscored the Lady Rattlers by a point in the second but still trailed by one headed into the half.
2025-26 Area Champions: Wall Lady Hawks
Despite trailing, Wall continued the momentum from the second quarter. The girls tied the game early in the 3rd and then took the lead on a 10-0 run to begin the half. Tolar continued to play tough and proved resilient behind the skills of the Lady Rattlers' Jaycee Jones. She stopped the run on a 3-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 3rd and carried a 7-point lead into the final quarter.
In the 4th quarter, neither team showed any quit. Defensive pressure mounted on both sides, with neither team adding to or digging into Wall's lead. 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 win the Area Championship by 16 points, 58-42.
2025-26 Wall Lady Hawks Basketball after the Area Championship
Johnson led all scorers in the Area Round 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. Not only did she score 22 points, but she also facilitated the offense to open up several other opportunities to score.
"She's a special player," Chrysler said of Johnson. "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 Katherine Lewis with 11 points, Kennedi Graves with 7 points, Lopez scoring 6 points, Maci Wagoner with five points, Kylee Holik scoring four points, and finally, Kenzzie Covert with three points.
Next up, the Lady Hawks head to the third round, where they will face off with Idalou in a No. 1 versus No. 3 state-ranked matchup. The date, time, and location of that matchup are still to be determined.
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