Boys basketball state championships: Things to know about Dallas-Fort Worth teams

The UIL boys high school basketball state champions start on Thursday at the Alamodome in San Antonio.

Two teams from the Fort Worth-area will compete with a state championship appearance on the line: Ponder and Mansfield Lake Ridge. Other Dallas-area teams involved in the state semifinals include Lancaster and Faith Family.

To see a full schedule of games, click here.

Mansfield Lake Ridge looking to stop Plano East’s perfection

Mansfield Lake Ridge is entering the state semifinals for the first time in program history. In its state debut, the Lake Ridge Eagles have an opportunity to knock off the undefeated Plano East Panthers and ruin their perfect season.

Lake Ridge (32-6) will face Plano East (36-0) in a Class 6A state semifinal at 7 p.m. on Friday. Plano East is competing in the state semifinals for the first time since 1994 and has a chance to complete a perfect season in Texas’ largest classification for the first time since the 2007 season.

Defeating Plano East is easier said than done, especially considering the talent of DJ Hall. The 6-foot-6 forward is strong down low, and is a force as a rebounder.

Hall powered Plano East to a victory over Keller in the regional finals, scoring 31 points.

“He is tough,” Keller head coach Zach Weir said of Hall. “He is a really good player. He’s big. He moves well. You try to mix him up a little bit and hope you catch him off guard. At the end of the day, he did a heck of a job and he responded. Kudos to him and Plano East. They are a really good team.”

Keller struggled to contain Hall, especially considering 6-5 Steven Ramirez is the tallest player on the roster. Mansfield Lake Ridge, however, has some defensive length with 6-8 junior forward Eze Nwakamma.

Lake Ridge also has three star senior guard Amir McMillian, who controls the pace of the Eagle offense. He can score, but consistently makes the right passes in an offense that is patient and emphasizing taking care of the basketball.

Another key contributor is Matthew Alexander, who scored 17 points in an area-round matchup against Wylie. Lake Ridge head coach Cornelius Mitchell said Alexander is the “heart and soul” of the program.

Defensively, the team is physical and aggressive. At times they can force teams to put the ball on the ground and take ill advised shots. They’ll have to be careful against Plano East, though. The Panthers made six three pointers against a scrappy Keller squad.

Faith Family looking for repeat

The Dallas-area is represented well, and No. 1 Faith Family will look to repeat as Class 4A state champions. Faith Family will face Stafford (35-6) on Friday with a 3 p.m. tip off time.

The Eagles are led by senior Isaac Williams, who has a well rounded game. He can shoot from the perimeter, control the offense as a floor general and secure some steals.

Williams scored 21 points in the regional finals to help advance his team to state. Faith Family (23-11) has won 11 consecutive games and is looking to win it’s fourth Class 5A Championship in five seasons.

Faith Family did not the state tournament in the 2019 season and the 2020 tournament was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ponder’s return to state

The Ponder boys basketball program has a long, storied history and has won five state championships since the 2001 season. The Lions last state title, however, was 10 years ago.

Now, Ponder is looking to get back to the grandest stage in Texas high school basketball. Ponder (36-6) will face Holliday (34-2) in a Class 3A state semifinal on Thursday with a 3:30 p.m. tip off time.

If Ponder wins, they’ll face either Hitchcock (32-2) or San Antonio Cole (32-9) in the Class 3A state title game.

Can Lancaster get back to its winning ways?

Lancaster (28-5) won titles in 2015 and 2016, and it’s been awhile since the Tigers have secured state championship gold. Lancaster has plenty of momentum and is ranked as the No. 1 team in Class 5A by the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches.

They have a strong opponent in Amarillo (34-4), the No. 5 ranked Class 5A squad. The two teams will face off with a state championship appearance on the line at 8:30 p.m. on Thursday.

Lancaster is led by 247Sports’ three star prospect Dillon Battie, a Temple commit. The 6-7 forward scored 22 points in a regional final win over The Colony. Battie is ranked as the No. 13 senior prospect in Texas.