This time last year, Ryan was an underdog.
Ryan had never advanced past the regional final round of the playoffs, let alone to a state final, and entered the playoffs outside the TABC’s Class 5A top 25. The Lady Raiders defied expectations with wins over three of the top four teams in the rankings on their way to taking the 5A Division I state championship, including a title game victory over No. 1 San Antonio Wagner.
Bringing back its entire roster — led by three Division I signees — left Ryan with high expectations for 2025-26 as 5A’s preseason No. 1 team.
Ryan took some early lumps but ultimately found its way back to San Antonio for a shot at defending its title.
“It’s been tougher,” Ryan coach Monesha Allen said of the return trip. “The first time, you didn’t know any better. You still believed because you have the talent, but they’d just never been there, and I hadn’t either. It’s a daily battle and it’s a daily fight, but when you know how much talent you have, you know that you have to keep on keeping on.”
Ryan (36-4), ranked No. 2 in 5A by the TABC, faces No. 7 Leander Glenn (35-3) in the 5A DI state final at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Alamodome.
Ryan advanced behind a 40-28 win over Prosper Walnut Grove in Tuesday’s state semifinal.
Beyond the chance at winning its second state championship, Ryan can also join a select group of teams from the talent-laden Dallas-Fort Worth area to take home at least two consecutive state titles in recent years.
Just five DFW programs have won back-to-back titles over the last two decades. Brock (2009-13) and Argyle (2015-19) each had runs of five straight state championships, while Duncanville won two consecutive titles twice in 2012-13 and 2016-17. DeSoto (2021-22) and Frisco Liberty (2023-24) are the most recent teams to achieve the feat.
Ryan entered the season cautiously optimistic of earning its own chance at going back-to-back, knowing just how challenging it was to win one title.
It’s an opportunity the Lady Raiders aren’t taking for granted.
“Last year, we weren’t known,” senior Kaylin Jackson said. “For us to come back, come together and be able to go back to the state tournament, it’s really a blessing.”
Jackson, an SMU signee, is among Ryan’s trio of senior DI pledges alongside James Madison signee Kinley Lewis and Incarnate Word signee Zaviyana Madison.
The three each earned TABC all-state selections last year after playing crucial parts in Ryan’s state title run.
Jackson was named Most Valuable Player of the state championship game after posting 24 points, eight rebounds, two assists and a block while shooting 9 of 11 from the field. Madison contributed 15 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals, and Lewis added six points, 10 rebounds and three steals.
They put together those stat lines despite Lewis fouling out and Madison being one of four other Ryan players to pick up four fouls.
It’s an experience Ryan is leaning on in its return to the state final.
“We learned how the adversity is going to be,” Madison said. “We had to be able to move around and do different things to execute what we did. I’m glad we were able to have that chance to do that and then come back and do it again.”
Challenges like last year’s title game and a host of others over the last two seasons have helped the Lady Raiders build a bond that’s at the heart of their success.
Their entire core has been together for the two most successful campaigns in program history, posting a combined record of 68-11 and advancing further in the playoffs than any team before them.
They’ll lean on that shared experience one last time Saturday, this time in a different role as the favorite.
“Every time we play, we always get the other team’s best shot,” Lewis said. “Nobody is ever out of a game, and we can never settle down enough to let them come back. Really, we just have to push ourselves and know that we can’t ever take a play off.”
JOHN FIELDS can be reached at 940-566-6869 and jfields@dentonrc.com.
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