Top Performances, Biggest Surprises from Day 1 of the UIL Texas Girls Basketball Championships

The first day of the UIL girls' basketball championship wrapped up with four state championships on the first day of three at the Alamodome in San Antonio.

Here’s a roundup of what happened and what to watch for on Day 2.

What happened?

Class 1A Division 1

Broaddus 54, Clyde Eula 42 — State title No. 2

Class 1A Division 2

Nazareth 43, Saltillo 28 — State title No. 27

Class 2A Division 1

Panhandle 38, Mason 25 — State title No. 3

Class 2A Division 2

Lipan 42, Martin’s Mill 35 — State title No. 4

What did it mean?

Three of the four champions on Thursday were the same as last year: Broaddus, Nazareth and Martin’s Mill.

Broaddus beat Clyde Eula in last year’s final and is now 2-0 in the finals.

Nazareth beat Saltillo as well. The latter helps the Swifettes extend their UIL record with state title No. 27. Only three girls' programs have won more than 10 state titles for a sport that dates back to the 1950-51 season.

The Panhandle lost in the semifinals last year and was the only Class 2A Division 1 team from the four that made it last year to return in 2026.

Martin’s Mill and Lipan were both in the final four last year, but Martin’s Mill beat Farwell in the finals.

The Panhandle vs. Mason game was the No. 1 vs. No. 2 team in the TABC poll — the state poll does not breakdown by divisions.

Saltillo was probably the surprise team in the finals, ranked No. 11, but lost to No. 2-ranked Nazareth. The Lions knocked off Barksdale Nueces Canyon, Huckaby and Bellevue, three teams in the top 10 to reach San Antonio.

Martin’s Mill was aiming for a 3rd straight championship and the second in the new two-division format. They won the final 2A title in 2023-24.

5 Who stood out?

Riley Segura, Panhandle

She had a team-high 19 points, while adding 8 rebounds and 2 blocked shots.

Kambri Cleavinger, Nazareth

The MVP had 14 points for the Swiftettes in a repeat title run.

Jalia Mitchell, Broaddus

The junior had a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds for the Bulldogs. She also had six of her team’s 12 assists.

Kaylynn Quinney, Broaddus

The junior guard hit a pair of 3s and was 8-for-10 from the free-throw line, scoring a game-high 22 points for the Bulldogs.

Sydni Gaylor, Lipan

The freshman had the most points on Day 1 with 23. She added 8 rebounds and 2 steals for the Lady Indians.

Others' performance worth noting

Some of the teams on the wrong side of the scoreboard also had big games. Here are a few of them

Kara Nixon, Martin’s Mill

She accounted for 6 of her team’s 12 baskets and finished with a team-high 17 points.

Emma Damron, Clyde Eula

The 5-foot-10 senior had 18 points, while adding 8 rebounds and 3 steals.

Alana Britain, Saltillo

The center had 10 points, doing most of it from the free-throw line with a 6-for-7 showing.

What’s happening on Friday?

11 a.m. — Class 3A Division 1

Hitchcock vs. Shallowater

1 p.m. — Class 3A Division 2

Nacogdoches Central Heights vs. Wall

5 p.m. — Class 4A Division 1

Waco La Vega vs. Decatur

7 p.m. — Class 4A Division 2

Fredericksburg vs. Dallas Lincoln