DUNCANVILLE – In terms of intensity, Frisco matched Houston Bellaire tit for tat Saturday night in the championship game of the Sandra Meadows Classic.

But too many wayward shots turned Frisco's chance at a stunner upside down, and Bellaire went on to win, 55-44.

Blog: High schools

 Saturday's tournament action

Boys basketball tournaments

DISD: Kimball goes long

  Video: Kimball-Skyline

Whataburger: Dunbar wins 3rd

Wildcat Classic: Heritage wins

Fri. results | Sat. results

Girls basketball tournaments

DISD: DeSoto measures up

  Video: DeSoto-Lancaster

Sandra Meadows: Frisco falls

Mansfield Rotary: Liberty wins

Fri. results | Sat. results

Frisco (23-3) forced Bellaire (25-0), ranked No. 5 in the nation by USA Today, to take notice, building a 14-12 first-quarter lead. Senior Kierra Mallard scored six of her game-high 13 points in the period.

A 1-of-10 field goal-shooting nightmare in the second quarter set Frisco back for good. Yet the team never backed down, cutting the deficit to under 10 points several times in the fourth quarter.

"We played hard for 32 minutes trying to win," Frisco coach Bob Rose said. "I felt like we had the shots, and if we had made our shots, we could have had a good shot at winning this one."

Bellaire coach Michael Kramer also said he was impressed with Frisco's fighting spirit.

"They just hung in there," Kramer said. "They're tough. They're a good 4A team."

To get to the title game, Frisco knocked off Duncanville, 49-47, in the semifinal round. It helped take some of the sting off losing to Bellaire, Rose said.

"We played two of the top five teams in 5A," he added, "and I'm happy going one for two."

Duncanville takes third: Senior forward Teranie Thomas scored the go-ahead basket late in the fourth quarter to push Duncanville to a 53-49 victory over Baltimore Seton Keough in the third-place game.

Thomas scored a game-high 14 points, and senior forward Veronica Mergerson, who fed Thomas the ball on the winning score, added eight points.

Although Duncanville gave coach Cathy Self-Morgan and the home crowd a scare by losing an early 13-point lead, the team made several clutch plays in the fourth to hold on.

"That was our senior leadership," Self-Morgan said. "They stuck with their team ball.

"We wanted to end '07 with a victory."

Trinity rallies: Senior guard Brianna Owens scored 14 points to lead Euless Trinity to a 43-38 victory over Amarillo Palo Duro to claim fifth place.

Trinity stormed back from a six-point halftime deficit to take a 33-31 lead going into the fourth quarter. A charge taken by junior forward Zoe Adom proved to be the momentum changer that allowed Trinity to build its lead and hold off Palo Duro.

It served as vindication for Trinity, which was whipped by Duncanville, 51-18, on Friday.

"It's such a strong tournament, and the whole reason we play in it is to get ready for district," coach Sue Cannon said. "But coming out of the Duncanville tournament at 4-1 is very good. I'll take that."

Late basket propels Horn: Sophomore forward Kelsi Baker's drive to the basket with 18 seconds to play lifted Mesquite Horn over Fort Bend Thurgood Marshall, 51-50, in the consolation championship.

Senior forward Kendra Smith had the hot hand for Horn, but it was up to Baker to make the decisive play.

"We were trying to get it to Kendra, and when they double-teamed her, they gave me the ball," said Baker, who scored eight points.

Horn's only loss in the tournament was in the first round to tournament champion Houston Bellaire.