Krum basketball stuns Randall in Region I-4A DII final to reach state semifinals

Posted by author March 1, 2025 Basketball

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CHILDRESS — The Randall basketball team fell short of a third consecutive trip to the state semifinals, losing 63-61 to No. 15 Krum in the Region I-4A Division II final on Friday night.

After the Raiders defeated the Bobcats in the postseason last year, Ty Tabor’s team got its revenge and will play in the state semifinals. No. 2-ranked Randall’s season comes to an end after beating Midland Greenwood and El Paso Riverside in the first two rounds of the postseason before surviving a double-overtime scare against No. 20 Brock in the regional semifinals.

Jaxon Toniolli was the Raiders’ leading scorer, tallying 15 points in the loss. Carson Bird led the way for Krum, finishing with 22 points.

Game-changing plays

Krum opened the game with an 8-2 run, and Randall was forced to try and keep pace with the Bobcats for the rest of the first quarter. In the second frame, a strong defensive effort and a few tough buckets from Toniolli and Tayesen Combs helped the Raiders even the score at 33-all heading to halftime.

Randall managed to build a six-point lead in the penultimate frame, but Krum battled back to tie the game at 45 at the end of the third quarter. The Raiders took another lead to start the final frame, but the Bobcats responded with a crucial 3-point shot to go ahead by one point.

Both teams traded scores in the fourth quarter before a pair of free throws gave Krum a 62-60 lead with less than two minutes left. Late in regulation, the Bobcats tacked on another free throw to go ahead by three.

Still, the Raiders had life. Dawson Heider got fouled on a half-court heave, putting the senior at the free-throw line for three shots with less than two seconds left in the game.

Heider missed two of his attempts, though, and Randall fell 63-61 to Krum.

They said it

Randall head coach Trevor Johnson: “Both of us look in the mirror, and we’re the same team. We want to do the same things and we want to play (up-tempo) style of basketball and they just did it two points better than us tonight.”

Randall senior Tayesen Combs: “When (longtime Randall basketball) coach (Leslie) Broadhurst and (former Randall player) Zakeria Bol died, it kind of like, I don’t know how to explain it, gave us a little boost. We were sad losing them, but we wanted to win it for them.”

Up next

The Bobcats advance the state semifinals after winning Region I-4A Division II and will meet Sanger or No. 12 Kennedale from Region II in the next round with a trip to the state championship on the line.