The North Texas region has had recent dominance amongst the larger classifications at the UIL State Tournament, but last weekend proved there are some other areas in the state not ready just yet to cede superiority. Here is a look back at the boys state championship contests played in all classifications.
Class 5A— Bush (Richmond, Texas) 65, Lakeview Centennial (Garland, Texas) 58
After knocking off the state’s No. 2 team in San Antonio Wagner in the state semifinals, this definitely appeared to be the year that the Garland Independent School District would crown its first state basketball champion in No. 3 Lakeview. Coach Tony Mauldin’s club is deep, athletic and frenetic. What the Patriots might not have fully realized is that coming out of the deep Fort Bend ISD, Bush is no stranger to any style of game. The Broncos handled what Lakeview threw at them and even threw some back. Lakeview returns a wealth of talent next year in the form of Toddrick Gotcher, Chris Jones and others and should start the year again among the tops in the state.
Class 4A— Yates (Houston, Texas) 92, Lancaster (Lancaster, Texas) 73
It is tempting if you are Lancaster to say this: we ended the streak of 100-point plus games for Houston Yates at a national-record 15 and we led the Lions by four heading into the fourth quarter before losing. But this Lancaster squad won’t fall for that temptation because they were a 36-2 team going into the championship game and ranked No. 2 in the state. In other words, they believed the title was theirs for the taking, and they certainly made Yates sweat.
The fourth quarter was one that Lancaster would dearly love to have back. The Tigers were outscored 31-8 as the Yates’ juggernaut fired up. When it was over, Brandon Peters had 37 points and 13 rebounds on the way to game MVP honors, while teammate Joe Young added 24 points.
Class 3A— Estacado (Lubbock, Texas) 69, Madison (Dallas, Texas) 63
Like Lakeview, this was another Dallas-area team that expected nothing less than a state championship. For Dallas Madison, winning one would mean a repeat from when the team beat the same Estacado outfit last year in overtime. This time, however, the Matadors had other thoughts and hung on for the win after an impressive first half that saw Estacado up 33-25, at the break. While the Garland ISD seeks its first state champion, Estacado’s title was the first for a Lubbock public-school team since 1965. The district may have to wait only one more year for a repeat as this year’s team started two sophomores and two juniors, including dynamic Kevin Wagner, son of coach Tony Wagner and an early Texas Tech commitment. For this game it was fellow junior Clarence Willard who dominated with 23 points and seven rebounds in being named tournament MVP.
Class 2A— Ponder (Ponder, Texas) 66, Idalou (Idalou, Texas) 40
Everything pointed to a No. 1 versus No. 2 matchup between Ponder and New Waverly, but Idalou had other plans in upsetting New Waverly in the semifinals. That just meant another roadblock for the team from West Texas in two-time defending state champion Ponder. Just how remarkable is it to win three consecutive state championships? Consider that the last time that was done was when Class A Snook grabbed seven consecutive trophies from 1978 to 1984. The Lions have simply steamrolled the opposition in Austin. This year Ponder won its two tournament games by a total of 42 points and in their three-year run have won the six games in Austin by at least double digits. Kaleb Broadstreet knocked down seven of eight shots (including four-of-five beyond the arc) to finish with 18 points and MVP honors.
Class A Division I – Cayuga (Cayuga, Texas) 66, Bronte (Bronte, Texas) 60 (OT)
Finally, an overtime game, but for Cayuga, another championship. The team from East Texas won it all this year in football behind the myriad talents of Traylon Shead and Malcolm Kennedy and duplicated the honor on the basketball court. This marked the first time a Class A school has won state titles the same year in both sports, but this one was not easy. Shead had 15 points and 17 rebounds while Billy Duncan added 17 points. Dakota Rawls, son of Bronte coach Rocky Rawls, was outstanding in defeat with 29 points and 10 rebounds. Other schools to notch football and basketball championships in the same year include Dumas, Everman, Southlake Carroll and Duncanville.
Class A Division II – Nazareth (Nazareth, Texas) 52, Grady (Lenorah, Texas) 43
The Swifts rode the 24 points of Sage Black to their fifth state championship since 2002. Thought of as a girl’s basketball power, the Naz boys have carved their own identify this past decade in resounding fashion. Ryan Birkenfeld chipped in 11 points in the win while Dylan Cox had 25 for Grady.
R.V. Baugus is publisher and editor for Tex Preps Basketball magazine and www.texprepsbasketball.com
