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DFW Boys Basketball: UIL State Preview
6A State Championship
Time: 7 p.m.
Date: Saturday, March 13
Location: Alamodome (San Antonio)
The City of Champions is looking to hoist its second (outright) state title in three seasons. To do so, it has to go against a team that has been playing lights off this year but making its first-ever trip to the title game.
Duncanville's road back to the state title game has been littered with state-ranked teams through the playoffs and in the regular season, including No. 1 Waxahachie twice and No. 3 Richardson, 5A No. 5 Fort Worth Wyatt and so on. And of course, being the last played defending state champion means the best will come out of the opponent to knock you down.
There is talent up and down both lineups for both teams, including Duncanville seniors Damon Nichols - the player that had meaningful contribution to the 2019 state title team - Zhuric Phelps and Juan Reyna. For Westlake, the big contributors are K.J. Adams and Eain Mowat.
| Duncanville |
TEAM | Austin Westlake |
| 2 | STATE RANK | 5 |
| 28-1 | RECORD | 30-1 |
| W14 | STREAK | W32 |
|
7 (2020) |
STATE APPEARANCES (MOST RECENT) |
1 (2018) |
|
4 (2019) |
STATE TITLES (MOST RECENT) |
0 |
| 75 | BIGGEST WIN |
46 |
| 83.8 |
POINTS SCORED PER GAME |
76.3
|
| 57.9 |
POINTS ALLOWED PER GAME |
33.8
|
| PLAYOFF JOURNEY | ||
| Bryan (72-54) |
BI-DISTRICT | Round Rock Cedar Ridge (67-52) |
|
Garland Sachse (61-51) |
AREA | San Antonio Roosevelt (71-38) |
| Mansfield (73-53) |
REGIONAL QUARTERFINALS |
#18 San Antonio Johnson (75-66) |
| Cypress Park (70-42) |
REGIONAL SEMIFINALS |
#16 Northside O'Connor (62-58) |
| #1 Waxahachie (70-65) |
REGIONAL FINALS |
Northside Clark (64-48) |
|
#3 Richardson (68-49) | STATE SEMIFINALS |
#12 Humble Atascocita (57-42) |
5A State Championship
Time: 7 p.m.
Date: Friday, March 12
Location: Alamodome (San Antonio)
Dallas Kimball is one of two teams ranked outside their respective classification's Top 10 that are left to play for a state title. And after knocking off the No. 1 5A team and district rival Lancaster two rounds ago and then the No. 6-ranked team last time out, it only has to play the No. 2-ranked team Beaumont United, which is looking to cap off an undefeated season. The last boys team to do that was in 2001 by 4A Beaumont Ozen.
Kimball is a team that has won - and lost - in all fashions. They've been a team that has held big leads only to see them be squandered away, or they've been the team to mount a comeback and win. They've been in tight games all the way through and made enough plays to win in crunch time as well as have a couple of hiccups and lose that close game.
It all goes to say that Kimball is battle tested in a wide gamut of styles, and the bulk of Kimball's work has come from a bevvy of juniors - Arterio Morris, Kyron Henderon and Chauncey Gibson. In contrast, Beaumont United has only played one game this year that finished with a single-digit difference.
The differences don't end there. Kimball is rich in State history, making its 12th trip to State and looking for its eight championship - both for the first time since 2014. Beaumont United is in its first State appearance in program history.
| Dallas Kimball |
TEAM | Beaumont United |
| 12 |
STATE RANK | 2 |
| 26-8 | RECORD | 30-0 |
| W8 | STREAK | W30 |
|
11 (2014) |
STATE APPEARANCES (MOST RECENT) |
0 |
| 7 (2014) |
STATE TITLES (MOST RECENT) |
0 |
| 77 | BIGGEST WIN | 58 |
| 75.9 |
POINTS SCORED PER GAME |
73.5 |
| 56.4 |
POINTS ALLOWED PER GAME |
46.2 |
| PLAYOFF JOURNEY | ||
| Dallas Wilson (80-67) |
BI-DISTRICT | LaPorte (92-54) |
| #18 Frisco Wakeland (69-63) |
AREA | #15 Richmond Foster (69-42) |
| #10 Dallas South Oak Cliff (59-55) |
REGIONAL QUARTERFINALS |
#7 Manvel (47-42) |
| #11 Dallas Highland Park (51-40) |
REGIONAL SEMIFINALS |
#17 Pflugerville Hendrickson (61-44) |
| #1 Lancaster (77-75) |
REGIONAL FINALS |
#20 Katy Paetow (59-47) |
| #6 Amarillo (60-56) |
STATE SEMIFINALS |
#23 Leander Glenn (82-57) |
4A State Championship
Time: 2 p.m.
Date: Saturday, March 13
Location: Alamodome (San Antonio)
A year after getting onto the doorstep of the State title game, Argyle will finally get a chance to recapture a championship for the first time since the 2011-12 season.
Argyle is on a 27-game win streak and has been winning at a ridiculous clip. Granted, there have been a handful of close games during that ride - six games inside of 10 points - but the other 21 games saw Argyle win by an average of a 30 points per game.
Defense is the Argyle calling card this year, which has only allowed four teams to hit 50 or more points this year and only nine other teams to score 40 or more points. During the playoffs, Argyle's defense has stayed consistent, giving up just 38.7 points per game, which is nearly a point less than the regular season average.
Huffman Hargrave is in its first-ever State run and subsequent title game. Huffman started the year by winning its first 19 games before an 18-point setback to Hardin-Jefferson. It has won 12 straight, which included avenging that loss to Hardin-Jefferson with a 1-point win in the season finale.
In terms of playoff runs, Argyle has played four straight state-ranked teams while Huffman has only played two in six games.
| Argyle |
TEAM | Huffman Hargrave |
| 3 |
STATE RANK | 11 |
| 30-1 | RECORD |
31-1 |
| W27 | STREAK | W12 |
|
4 (2020) |
STATE APPEARANCES (MOST RECENT) |
0 |
| 1 (2012) |
STATE TITLES (MOST RECENT) |
0 |
| 70 | BIGGEST WIN |
49 |
| 63.8 |
POINTS SCORED PER GAME |
65.6 |
| 39.2 |
POINTS ALLOWED PER GAME |
47.2 |
| PLAYOFF JOURNEY | ||
| Fort Worth Western Hill (72-32) |
BI-DISTRICT | West Orange-Stark (59-48) |
| Lampasas (65-45) |
AREA | Royal (75-39) |
| #19 Fort Worth YMLA (49-40) |
REGIONAL QUARTERFINALS |
#23 Lumberton (66-34) |
| #6 Lubbock Estacado (57-40) |
REGIONAL SEMIFINALS |
Carthage (44-37) |
| #7 Seminole (52-36) |
REGIONAL FINALS |
Silsbee (62-56) |
| #1 Oak Cliff Faith Family (43-39) |
STATE SEMIFINALS |
#5 Boerne (55-49) |
1A State Championship
Time: 10 a.m.
Date: Friday, March 12
Location: Alamodome (San Antonio)
It's been quite the run for Slidell, which is at State for the third straight year and looking for its second straight (played) State Title after 63-year drought.
Slidell has been the prohibitive favorite all season long, being at or near the top of the 1A State rankings. Slidell has been on a tear since its loss to Kennedale. The closest score in that 19-game run was by 11 points, twice, both during the playoffs. For Slidell, this will be the third straight 1A Top 5 matchup, having knocked off No. 2 Graford and No. 3 Rocksprings with relative ease.
Texline is at State for the first time since 2015, which is the last time it won it all and making its third overall. Texline entered the playoffs with a 35-point loss to Clarendon in the season finale only to run through the playoffs winning by an average 24.5 points per game, although two of the last three games have been decided by two points but against teams ranked in the state.
| Slidell |
TEAM | Texline |
|
1 |
STATE RANK | 4 |
| 29-3 | RECORD |
25-4 |
| W19 | STREAK | W6 |
|
7 (2020) |
STATE APPEARANCES (MOST RECENT) |
2 (2015) |
|
3 (2019) |
STATE TITLES (MOST RECENT) |
1 (2015) |
| 82 | BIGGEST WIN | 78 |
| 71.7 |
POINTS SCORED PER GAME |
70.9 |
| 41.3 |
POINTS ALLOWED PER GAME |
45.9 |
| PLAYOFF JOURNEY | ||
| BYE |
BI-DISTRICT | Amherst (91-54) |
| Dodd City (64-45) |
AREA | Turkey Valley (93-35) |
| #13 Saltillo (64-53) |
REGIONAL QUARTERFINALS |
#23 Springlake-Earth (84-51) |
| Lometa (70-32) |
REGIONAL SEMIFINALS |
#11 Jayton (57-55) |
| #2 Graford (68-57) |
REGIONAL FINALS |
#8 Paducah (72-57) |
| #3 Rocksprings (55-37) |
STATE SEMIFINALS |
#15 Clyde Eula (58-56) |
DFW's 3-Year Runs Atop the Hoops Scene
At a much more local level, the DFW hoops scene has been lucky to have a number of teams that have built dynasties - arguably the best being Argyle's girls basketball five-peat from 2014-15 through 2018-19.
Having that sort of continued excellence can be hard as players move/transfer, get hurt or coaches leave. As the UIL State tournament plays out this week, we look at the four teams from the Metroplex that have made it to State three straight years and established themselves as the new standard within Texas high school basketball.
Frisco Liberty Girls Basketball
3-Year Run
2018-19: State Runner-Up
2019-20: State Champion
2020-21: State Finals (game will be played Wednesday, March 10)
Frisco Liberty is a win away from this three-year run to the State Tournament being a five-appearances-in-six-years. Liberty got to its first 5A championship game in 2015-16, falling to Canyon, which was in its third year of its own four-year title run.
Three years later, Frisco Liberty returned to state only to fall to a tough Amarillo team. Last year, Frisco Liberty finally broke through for its first-ever state title using its tough defense to stymie San Antonio Veterans Memorial on the way to a 35-26 win.
It was a bit of a down year for Liberty, which had five total district losses in the previous three years while going 13-4 this year. True to last year's team identity, Liberty has relied heavily on its stingy defense to advance all the way to State again as the third seed out of 9-5A.
Since the playoffs began, Liberty is holding opponents to 29.5 points per game and only two opponents have scored 40 points in a game against Liberty since the beginning of December - a stark contrast from the beginning of the season when opponents were averaging 46 points a game, including giving up 64 to South Grand Prairie, 69 to Duncanville and 50 to Mansfield Timberview.
Slidell Boys Basketball
3-Year Run
2018-19: State Champion
2019-20: State Finalist
2020-21: State Semifinals (game will be play Tuesday, March 9)
After a 76-year state title drought, Slidell, the tiny school nestled just outside of Denton, captured the 1A state championship with a 49-36 win over Jayton after being on the cusp of breaking through in the immediate years prior.
In the 2015-16 season, Slidell missed out of the playoffs after finishing district play at 9-5 and fourth in the standings. The next two years, Slidell won its district's championship and earned first round byes. After a win the Area Round, Slidell would be knocked out in the Regional Quarterfinals.
The next year, in 2018-19, things broke just right for Slidell despite almost giving up a double-digit fourth quarter lead in the Regional Semifinals to Saltillo. In the following three games, Slidell cruised to wins to capture that elusive title.
Last year, everything was lining up for a Slidell repeat, which had not happened in the program's history since it won the 1941-42 and 1942-43 Class B titles. In the State Semifinals, Slidell met up again with Jayton and cruised to a 45-28 victory and had a meeting La Rue La Poyner lined up for all the marbles.
However, the pandemic broke loose and the rest is history, leaving the boys championships unfinished.
This year, Slidell is clicking once again on all cylinders, having won 18 straight heading into the State Tournament. It marks the fourth straight year Slidell completed an undefeated district schedule, and it has won its playoff games by an average 19.8 points per game.
Oak Cliff Faith Family Academy Boys Basketball
3-Year Run
2018-19: State Champion
2019-20: State Semifinalist
2020-21: State Semifinals (game will be play Tuesday, March 9)
Back in 2015-16, Oak Cliff Faith Family Academy (FFA) was competing at the 3A level and was having a solid season. It finished district play at 11-4 and made it a couple rounds deep before falling to a loaded Van Alstyne team in the Regional Semifinals.
The following season saw FFA jump up to the 4A level and struggle in its first season, going 9-19 overall and 5-9 in district play, which resulted in missing out on the playoffs. In 2017-18, FFA bounced back with a 24-win season and an 8-6 mark in district before being bounced in the playoffs by Argyle in the Bi-District Round.
What a difference a year makes, though. In the 2018-19 season, FFA pushed passed the 30-win mark and completely dominated its district opponents, winning those games by an average of 37.5 points per game. The first two playoff games were much of the same but from the Regional Quarterfinals onward, FFA played in and won five straight two-possession games - a credit to the tough pre-district schedule it had featuring a bunch of tournaments.
Last year got off to a rough start for FFA as it limped to a 9-13 record. That record was a bit deceiving as it played a number of tournaments outside of Texas and held its own quite well against top teams across the nation. FFA ended the season on a 15-game winning streak before schools and sports were shut down. FFA was schedule to play Houston Yates in the 4A State Semis the next day.
Fast forward to 2020-21, and FFA is right back where it was a year ago. With no tournaments on the calendar this year, FFA loaded up against some of the state's top teams across all of the big-school classes and started the season 9-5 before running right through its district calendar. Unlike last year, FFA has only played in one close game during this year's playoffs, which so happened to be its last played game against Dallas Carter in the Regional Finals.
Duncanville Boys Basketball
3-Year Run
2018-19: State Champion
2019-20: State Semifinalist
2020-21: State Semifinals (game will be play Tuesday, March 9)
Like its other boys counterparts in this list, Duncanville started its three-year run with a state title. It was the program's fourth state championship and first since 2006-07.
The years proceeding Duncanville's latest title were definitely build-up, foundational years. In 2015-16, the team languished around the .500 mark all season, ending the year at 17-16, 5-7 in district play and getting to the Area Round of the playoffs.
The next year, Duncanville took a step up going 26-8, 11-3 in district and making it a round deeper to the Regional Quarterfinals. With a slight improvement in overall record in 2017-18, Duncanville looked poised for a deep run, only to be cut down in the Area Round by eventual state champ Allen, which was a buzzsaw that year.
Then comes 2018-19. It's the senior year for Jahmi'us Ramsey and the team is deeply-rooted as the No. 1 team in the state pretty much after the end of the football season. Following an 81-74 loss to the state's No. 1 5A team, Lancaster, Duncanville rattled off 25 straight wins on the way to the crown, including a 14-0 record in district. In the playoffs, Duncanville won five of its seven playoff games by an average of just 3.8 points per game.
The following year, just like the other boys team, Duncanville was primed for another deep run. The talent was stacked up and down the roster and the team was rolling through the competition. Outside of two forfeits to begin the year, Duncanville started the season 11-2, which included dominating the Whataburger Tournament. Duncanville went 13-1 in district play and was ripping right through its playoff opponents, winning by an average of 14 points per game except for a one-point overtime win over Grand Prairie.
Once again, things shut down just before Duncanville was prepared to play Northside Brandeis in the State Semifinals.
This year, Duncanville has been as solid as ever - maybe even better - as it sits 27-1, having just avenged its only loss of the season against the state's No. 1-ranked team in Waxahachie. Out of all of its games this year, Duncanville has only played in four games inside of 10 points, two of them being against Waxahachie.