It happened again. Every December, the basketball world turns its eyes toward Duncanville, Texas, for a tradition that basically serves as the "Hunger Games" of high school girls' hoops. Honestly, if you haven't been inside the Sandra Meadows Memorial Arena during the post-Christmas rush, you’re missing out on the purest, most frantic version of the sport.
The Sandra Meadows Classic 2024 was the 74th installment of this absolute marathon. 32 teams. Three days. Zero room for a slow start.
Most people expect the host team—the legendary Duncanville Pantherettes—to just steamroll through the bracket and hoist the trophy. It’s what they do. But 2024 decided to be a little weird. A little chaotic. And for the fans sitting in those stands, it was probably the most unpredictable year in recent memory.
The Arkansas Invasion and the Fall of the Giants
If you were betting on the winner, you probably looked at the Texas powerhouses first. That was your mistake.
The big story of the Sandra Meadows Classic 2024 wasn't a Texas team at all. It was the Conway Lady Wampus Cats from Arkansas. They came into this tournament with a serious chip on their shoulder. See, Conway had finished as the runner-up for three straight years. Three years of getting this close to the gold only to have it snatched away by Duncanville.
They weren't having it this time.
Conway rolled through the bracket like a buzzsaw. They didn't just win; they dismantled people. They went 5-0 over the weekend, eventually facing off against Fort Worth Boswell in the title game. It was a 44-40 nail-biter that felt more like a chess match than a track meet.
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Emerie Bohanon was the engine. She took home the Tournament MVP, while her teammate Samyyah Jordan locked down the Defensive MVP. It’s rare to see a team from out of state come into the "City of Champions" and leave with the hardware, but Conway basically made it look like their home court.
The Shock of the Quarterfinals
Now, let’s talk about the upset that literally made the gym go silent for a second.
Duncanville doesn't lose at home. Not usually. They hadn't lost a game in this tournament in six years. But Pearland—a team from the Houston area—didn't get the memo. They dragged the Pantherettes into an overtime thriller in the quarterfinals.
Sophomore guard A’Zyua Blair basically had her "I’m here" moment. She dropped 30 points on Duncanville. 30! In their own house! She hit three massive free throws at the end of regulation to force overtime, and Pearland eventually walked away with a 68-63 win.
It was a total bracket-buster.
Suddenly, the path was wide open. Duncanville, the perennial favorite, was relegated to the consolation brackets, eventually finishing 5th. It was a reminder that in 2024, there really wasn't a "dominant" team in Texas girls' basketball. It was a free-for-all.
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Why This Tournament Still Matters So Much
Look, there are a million holiday tournaments. You've got events in Florida, Vegas, and California. But the Sandra Meadows Classic 2024 carries a weight that others don't.
It’s named after Sandra Meadows, a coach who was basically the John Wooden of Texas girls' basketball. She won 906 games. She won four state titles. She coached through cancer treatments without missing a beat. When you play on that floor, you aren't just playing for a plastic trophy. You’re playing in a shrine.
College scouts know this.
You look at the sidelines and it’s a "who’s who" of NCAA coaches. They aren't there to see blowout wins; they’re there to see who can handle the pressure of three games in 48 hours.
- St. Francis (Georgia): They showed up and showed out, finishing 3rd after beating a 23-0 Dallas Lincoln team.
- Dallas Lincoln: They entered the tournament undefeated and left with two losses, proving that a perfect record doesn't mean much when you hit the Duncanville meat grinder.
- Vista Ridge: They struggled, going 3-2, but the level of competition they faced was so high that they actually stayed at the top of the Austin-area rankings afterward.
What We Learned from the 2024 Results
If you’re a basketball nerd, the takeaway from the Sandra Meadows Classic 2024 is simple: the gap is closing.
For years, Duncanville and DeSoto were the untouchable queens of the court. Now? You’ve got teams from Arkansas coming in and winning. You’ve got teams from Georgia like St. Francis proving they can handle the Texas physicality.
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The play style is changing too. It’s less about one superstar post player and more about elite guard play. The MVPs of this tournament—Bohanon and Jordan—are proof of that. They didn't just out-tall people; they out-ran and out-worked them.
Real-World Action Steps for Players and Coaches
If you’re looking at these results and wondering how to prep for the next one, here’s the reality.
- Conditioning is everything. Playing five games in three days is brutal. Most teams gassed out by the third quarter of the semifinals. If you want to win at Sandra Meadows, you have to be in mid-season form by December 26th.
- Handle the "Arena Effect." The Sandra Meadows Arena is big. The lights are bright. The crowd is loud. Younger teams, like Aledo (who went 1-2), often struggle with the atmosphere before they settle into the game.
- Respect the defense. Conway won because they forced 15+ turnovers a game. It’s a cliche, but defense actually wins this tournament.
The Sandra Meadows Classic 2024 proved that the trophy is no longer a "given" for the home team. It’s a wide-open race.
As we look toward the 75th anniversary coming up, the standard has been set. To win in Duncanville, you have to be more than just talented. You have to be tough enough to survive the most grueling weekend in high school sports.
Check the final brackets if you get a chance. You’ll see some names there—players like A’Zyua Blair and Emerie Bohanon—who you’ll likely be watching on TV in the NCAA tournament in a year or two. That’s the real magic of this event. You aren't just watching high school kids; you're watching the future of the WNBA getting their first real taste of the big stage.