The District 17-5A co-champion Trojans had earned the league’s top postseason seed by winning a playoff against Temple, which eliminated Bryan in the opener of Monday’s doubleheader. University (25-7) advanced to the area round for the second consecutive season, to face either Houston Madison or Tomball.

Consol, making its first playoff appearance since 2013, finished the season at 19-13. The Tigers tied College Station and Bryan for second place in 18-5A, settling for the district’s No. 4 playoff seed after losing a coin toss against Bryan.

The Tigers scratched out a two-point halftime lead and trailed by only one in the middle of the third quarter.

“I thought the kids played real hard,” Consol coach Rick German said. “I’m very proud of my boys. None of them had been in the playoffs, and playing against a team as good as University first shot out of the gun, you better be ready.”

Consol was well within range of the Trojans after Layton Dimery scored to pull the Tigers within 35-34 with 4:39 left in the third quarter. However, University scored the next 10 points with a dizzying burst, making four consecutive shots while Consol missed two free throws and a 3-point attempt, then committed a turnover.

Gibson started the charge by hitting a step-back jumper from 21 feet for a 3-pointer. After the missed free throws, Gibson sliced through the lane for a driving scoop shot. Antoine Hailey produced the next five points with a three-point play at the end of a fast break and a rebound bucket following a turnover.

“Any time you play a good team there’s going to be runs in the game,” German said. “You have to make your free throws to stop the bleeding or take care of the ball even if you don’t make shots so they’re not getting easy transition baskets. We went through a stretch where we turned the ball over a couple of times, and it seemed like they scored every time. They got cushion on their lead and we were playing catch-up the rest of the night.”

University led 51-38 after three quarters. The Tigers scored the first four points of the fourth and also made a pair of 3-pointers during a 17-9 start, but the Trojans stemmed the tide with a trey by Corey Montgomery.

The Tigers trimmed the deficit to seven points a couple of times before and after the 3-minute mark, but Consol was forced to foul and the Trojans proved solid from the free-throw line. University made 18 of 21 free throws in the fourth quarter and 23 of 27 overall.

Gibson, a college prospect who likely will cause Bryan-College Station coaches headaches next season when the Trojans join Bryan, Consol, College Station and Rudder in 18-5A, finished with 29 points. He hit 10 of 18 shots to go with four assists.

“He’s a quality player, one of those high school players that will periodically throughout a game give his team what they need, whatever that may be,” German said. “He stepped up and did the job.”

Consol got 26 points from junior guard Tre Flowers, who shouldered much of the scoring load in the second half with senior Trey Pulliam in serious foul trouble. Flowers swished a last-second heave from nearly three-quarters court for the last three points.

Pulliam scored six points in the first 83 seconds of the fourth quarter and finished with 14, fouling out with 5:32 left in the game. Junior guard Dimery added 15 points for the Tigers. Charged with the difficult task of guarding Gibson most of the night, Dimery fouled out with 1:08 remaining.

Hailey scored 19 points for the Trojans, while guard Justin Williams added 14.

Waco University 80, A&M Consolidated 76

Numbers indicate field goals, free throws made-attempted, fouls and points

A&M Consolidated (19-13)

Garrett Peters 3 0-0 1 8; Wesley Holmes 1 3-3 3 6; Tre Pulliam 4 4-7 5 14; Layton Dimery 4 5-6 5 15; Josue Cuero 1 0-0 0 2; Tre Flowers 9 6-11 3 26; Abel Dailey 2 0-0 4 4; Naaman Outing 1 0-2 0 2. Totals: 25 18-29 21 76

3-pters — Peters (2), Pulliam (2) Holmes, Dimery (2). Flowers (2)

University (25-7)

Umoja Gibson 10 4-5 4 29; Corey Montgomery 1 0-0 3 3; Antoine Hailey 7 5-5 3 19; Justin Williams 4 7-9 4 16; Lonnie Alexander 1 0-0 2 2; Tim Wilkinson 0 7-8 4 7; D.J. Wright 1 0-0 0 2; Jibriel Washington 1 0-0 1 2. Totals: 24 23-27 21 80.

3-pters — Montgomery, Gibson (5), Williams

Consol 9 20 9 38 — 76

University 13 14 24 29 — 80