SAN ANTONIO – For the second time in the last three seasons, the Fredericksburg girls basketball team found themselves on the court at the Alamodome for the UIL Class 4A State semifinals.
In 2020, the Battlin’ Billies came up short in the semis against Argyle, 49-38. This year, after rallying past Boerne thanks to Lauren Danz’s dramatic buzzer-beater in the Regional Final, Fredericksburg lined up against Brownsboro looking for their first win at the state level since 1951.
The Battlin’ Billies wasted no time taking control of the game in the first quarter. Back-to-back baskets from Ella and Kirsten Hartmann turned a 4-4 tie into a 9-4 Fredericksburg lead, and a three-pointer from Danz gave Fredericksburg their largest lead, 12-5. But Brownsboro turned the game on its head with a 14-2 run, and the Bearettes entered halftime up 26-21. Brownsboro guard Paris Miller led all scorers with 10 points on 4-of-9 shooting. Taylor Grona paced the Billies with five first-half points.
In the third quarter, Anabel Araiza pulled the Billies within five points again, 30-25, but Brownsboro’s Khayla Garrett hit a jumper of her own with 18 seconds left in the frame to give the Bearettes a 38-31 lead entering the fourth quarter. Danz then battled her way to the free throw line and sunk five of six free throws to cut the deficit down to four points, 40-36 with 6:28 left in regulation. She posted a team-high 10 points, but the Bearettes quickly countered with a 13-3 run that essentially put the game away. Miller finished with a game-high 22 points, as the Billies fell 60-41.
Fredericksburg ends their remarkable season with a 36-4 overall record.