Maize standout verbally commits to Texas-based university

Maize’s Halie Jones is off the board.

The Eagles’ senior guard girls basketball player committed to the University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley on Tuesday via Twitter. She helped Maize to a fourth-place finish at the Class 5A state tournament in 2018.

“I want to thank my family for all the sacrifices they have made to get me where I am today,” Jones said via Twitter.

Jones averaged 11.2 points per game, which was a team-high. She was instrumental in the flow of the offense that came to life late in the season.

Maize clinched a spot in the 5A tournament with a sub-state title win over Andover and made it to the state semifinals with a 44-37 win over Mill Valley in the opening round. The Eagles were bounced by eventual champion St. Thomas Aquinas and lost to No. 1 Liberal in the third-place game.

Last season, UTRGV finished 14-16 overall and seventh in the Western Athletic Conference of NCAA Division I. In 2018-19, the Vaqueros will play top talent in Texas, Baylor and Texas A&M.