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THE CLUTCH 32: UIL Basketball 2025-26 State Championship Preview -- La Marque vs. Dallas Carter (4A D2)
WHERE: Alamodome -- San Antonio, TX
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LA MARQUE COUGARS
La Marque delivered a measure of poetic justice on Tuesday, flipping the script on Wheatley—a team that eliminated them in last year’s State Semifinals—in what amounted to a must-see 68-67 slugfest at Missouri City’s Hopson Field House. In doing so, head coach Kevin Wilcox and the Cougars punched their ticket to the UIL title game for the first time since 2011 (second overall), while extending La Marque’s record to 41-1 during its fifth trip to the State Tournament.
Spearheading the effort to capture the team’s first championship is a roster defined by collective firepower. Senior Je’Caryous Oliver leads the Cougars in both scoring and rebounding, averaging 14 points and nine boards per night. He’s complemented by junior Malcolm McNair (14 ppg, 3 rpg), along with seniors Brendan Harris (10 ppg, 7 rpg), Brandon Harris (8 ppg, 9 rpg), and Dylan Lindsey (10 ppg, 3 rpg), forming a dangerous rotation that forces opponents to pick their poison.
CARTER COWBOYS
Riding a 24-game winning streak, the Lyndon Love-led Cowboys have stormed through the postseason, most recently toppling Brock 52-44 after upsetting the defending 4A Division 2 champions, Kennedale, in last week’s Region II Final. Now, all that stands between Carter (30-6)—making its third appearance in the State Final and fourth all-time in the Tournament —and the program’s inaugural UIL title is La Marque.
Point guard Amarion Hunter is the undeniable engine behind the Carter machine. The junior and three-star collegiate prospect (247Sports) is averaging nearly 24 points, six assists, and four rebounds per game. Towering at 6-foot-10, sophomore post Terrell Jackson has enjoyed a breakout season, putting up 14 points and 11 rebounds on average. Meanwhile, junior guard Landen “Fats” Higgs (12 ppg, 6 apg, 4 rpg) rounds out the monster trio of the Dallas ISD powerhouse.
