High school basketball: Tre Johnson scores 29 to lead No. 8 Lake Highlands past No. 13 Beaumont United 55-44 for Texas Class 6A state title

The most highly-anticipated state title game of the 2022-23 high school basketball season saw No. 8 Lake Highlands (Dallas) knock off No. 13 Beaumont United (Beaumont) 55-44 Saturday night at the Alamodome to capture the program's first state championship since 1968.

Top-ranked junior Tre Johnson finished with a game-high 29 points in the UIL Class 6A state title game. Yale signee Samson Aletan played a crucial role down low, tallying 10 points, 10 rebounds and seven blocks.

Lake Highlands (34-3) took control at the end of the third quarter, finishing on a 13-1 run to establish a 42-37 advantage headed into the final frame. Johnson scored the final seven points of the period, knocking down a 3-pointer from the top of the key followed by a pair of mid-range jump shots to give the Wildcats all the momentum headed into the final eight minutes. Following a layup from Johnson to begin the fourth quarter, the Timberwolves responded with five consecutive points to cut the deficit to 44-42 with five minutes remaining in the contest.

After a pair of free throws from Johnson extended the Wildcats' lead to 46-42 with around four minutes to go, the teams traded multiple stops on the defensive end before a layup from senior Jaire Williams through contact made things 48-42 with 1:28 left.

Lake Highlands was able to knock down free throws down the stretch to extend their lead to double-digits late.

Beaumont United (36-2) fell just shy of capturing its third consecutive state championship after winning back-to-back Class 5A crowns in 2020-21 and 2021-22. The Timberwolves have compiled a record of 103-5 over the past three seasons.