The girls’ basketball team finished 30-5 and claimed a back-to-back Southwest Preparatory Conference championship with a striking 65-57 win over Houston Christian in Dallas.
“We focused on blocking the outside noise out, making sure we stayed in the moment, and focused on what makes us us,” head coach Mrs. Stacey Marshall said.
Led by a strong junior class, the Falcons entered the tournament as the No. 1 team in the SPC and No. 1 private school in Texas, carrying the weight that comes with defending last year’s championship.
“I don’t think there were heavy expectations, but we held ourselves to a standard that we wanted to defend the title,” junior Ma’Ryiah Alfred said.
The top-seeded Falcons opened the tournament with a dominant 85-15 win over Duchesne on Feb. 12 at Greenhill School, then cruised through the semifinals with a 67-15 victory over St. Stephen’s the following day.
“We went into the first games with intention, since we knew we needed every detail for the championship,” Alfred said.
The championship was a different battle, facing the No. 2 seeded Houston Christian Mustangs, Kinkaid found itself in an early fight.
The Falcons scored just eight points in the first quarter and trailed by three.
While the offense struggled to find rhythm, the defense held firm. The team collected four first-quarter steals, led by Alfred’s three steals.
The second quarter continued to test the Falcons offensively. Despite strong defensive pressure and multiple forced turnovers, Kinkaid struggled to convert on the other end.
Junior Sydney Marshall provided an impressive run with six points in the quarter, but the team as a whole had difficulty finishing possessions.
“After my and-one, I got fired up and I wanted to bring more energy to the court,” Marshall said.
Houston Christian maintained a substantial edge heading into halftime, leading 16-24.
At halftime, Kinkaid needed a spark. Head Coach Stacey Marshall gave an inspiring speech to the girls.
“I tried to make them focus on themselves,” she said. “Houston Christian has given us their best shot, but we missed a lot of shots we shouldn’t miss. I didn’t look worried because I knew we had it in us.”
The Falcons erupted for 29 points in the third quarter alone, flipping the momentum entirely. Alfred and Marshall led the surge, combining for 21 points in the quarter.
“I realized that there were 16 minutes until the game was over, so we had to kick it up a notch. We started playing better defense, not only thinking about scoring, ” Marshall stated.
The fourth quarter was about consistency and composure. With the momentum firmly in their favor after the third quarter, the Falcons focused on closing the game out.
Alfred applied continued defensive pressure, finishing with eight steals, while junior Kamdyn Flora delivered two clutch three-pointers to stretch the lead in the fourth.
“In the fourth quarter, I kept shooting because I trusted my game knowing I could,” Flora said.
After a tough championship fight, Kinkaid closed out the 65-57 win to secure its second straight SPC title.
“I was very jubilant and I was just so excited to win another championship with my team,” said junior Lauren Hull.
More than anything, the championship showed how close this team is. Through tough moments, the Falcons leaned on each other and played for one another. Winning it together made the back-to-back title even more meaningful.
“Most of the people on the team are my best friends, which made winning more memorable fun, and was a testament to how hard we worked all season,” Alfred said.
Marshall talked about her pride.
“It’s hard to pick one thing that I’m proud of these girls for. One thing that stood out though was that they trusted the process, trusted the coaches and their teammates. They really embody the DAWG, Discipline, Attitude, Work, Grit, and Mudita mentality. That’s what makes them so special,” she said.
