No. 24 Wall Girls’ Season Ends With Last-Second Loss to Tolar

BROWNWOOD, TX — In a back-and-forth battle that wasn’t decided until the final seconds, the No. 24-ranked Wall girls basketball team fell just short in a 53-48 loss to Tolar on Friday in their area-round playoff game.

Wall rallied from eight points down midway through the fourth quarter to get within a point on three occasions.

The Lady Hawks could never get back on top, however, and they missed a 3-point shot from the corner with 15 seconds remaining that would have tied the game.

Tolar’s Senne Imel, who scored 34 points, knocked down a couple of free throws from there to seal the win.

Tolar (24-10) moves on to play No. 11 Idalou in the Class 3A Division II regional semifinals next week.

Wall’s season ends with a record of 23-9, and it was a difficult loss to take, said first-year head coach Silas Crisler, who praised his team’s effort this year.

“They bought in from Day 1. … From the get-go, they did everything they were supposed to do. Practice was always at 110%, so it just hurts. Because when a team commits to you like that, you feel like you owe them something. And tonight, I feel like I owe them something. I feel like the season ended too short for us,” Crisler said.

The game had eight ties and 11 lead changes, and it was hard fought from start to finish.

Tolar led 8-7 after the first quarter, Wall was up 18-16 at halftime, and Tolar was back on top 38-37 heading into the fourth quarter.

Tolar had a hot start to the second half with 13 points in the opening 2:09 to take a 29-22 lead.

Wall answered with a run of its own to take a 35-32 lead on a 3-pointer by Kennedi Graves late in the third quarter.

Tolar didn’t flinch either, and the Lady Rattlers soon regained the lead and held strong down the stretch.

“We knew Wall was going to be tough,” said Tolar head coach Ericka Halfmann, an Eldorado graduate who grew up playing against Wall. “We knew it was going to be a hard-fought game, and everybody was locked in and knew their roles and knew what to do.

“I can’t say enough about the Wall Hawks and their program. I know some of the girls, and it’s a great team, so we take our hats off to them.”

In addition to 34 points and five 3-pointers, Imel also had eight rebounds and two steals for Tolar.

"She really is a stud," Halfmann said. "She always steps up to the challenge. She's just a great competitor. ... She leaves a mark in Tolar. She's great on and off the court."

Jaycee Jones added nine points for the Lady Rattlers.

Wall was led by Brylyn Watts, who had 13 points, eight rebounds and two steals.

Graves had 12 points, while Bree Gallant had seven points, nine rebounds and two blocks.

Watts, Gallant, Savannah Hartman, Katelynn Holtmann and Scarlett Wymore were Wall's five seniors.