Justin Northwest, eight others from DFW seek boys basketball gold this weekend

Last year, we were just happy to be there - those were the words from Justin Northwest boys basketball coach Mike Hatch.

Fast forward to last week, when the Texans again won the Class 5A Region I final, and Hatch had a different view on this season's UIL state tournament.

"This year, our mindset will be to win a state championship," he said.

Ranked No. 2 by the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches, the Texans beat Amarillo 60-56 to clinch a state berth for the second straight year.

They return to the Alamodome in San Antonio, with a Thursday semifinal against San Antonio Alamo Heights.

The Texans aren't the only team from Dallas-Fort Worth going. Allen, South Garland, Midlothian, Dallas Carter, Grandview, Bowie, Muenster and Lipan will also be playing for a championship this weekend.

Class 6A

South Garland (36-3) vs. Katy Tompkins (31-8), 7 p.m. Friday; Allen (32-5) vs. Austin Westlake (36-3), 8:30 p.m. Friday

State final: 8:30 p.m. Saturday

South Garland: The No. 5 Colonels are headed to their first state tournament after beating Dallas Jesuit 65-50 in the Region II final. Junior Tyrese Maxey, who's the No. 12 ranked player for the Class of 2019, is averaging 21.8 points and 7.0 rebounds per game.

Tompkins: The Falcons are in just their fourth season of varsity competition. They easily took home Region III, beating Deer Park 97-50 and Houston Alief Taylor 60-43.

Allen: The Eagles upset Denton Guyer, on of the top-ranked teams in the nation, 40-36 in the 6A Region I final to clinch their second state tournament berth, first since 2014. The Eagles are on a 10-game winning streak and are 15-2 this season at neutral sites.

Westlake: Ranked No. 2 in the state, the Chaparrals beat Austin Lake Travis in the Region IV final to clinch their first trip to state. Senior Brock Cunningham, a 6-foot-7 forward, has signed with Texas.

Class 5A

Midlothian (28-10) vs. Port Arthur Memorial (32-5), 7 p.m. Thursday; Justin Northwest (33-5) vs. San Antonio Alamo Heights (32-6), 8:30 p.m.. Thursday

State final: 3 p.m. Saturday

Midlothian: Senior Caleb Jordan hit a corner 3-pointer at the buzzer to beat Lancaster 48-45 in the Region II final. Senior Kaden Archie, who's signed with TCU, is averaging 18.2 points and 6.4 rebounds per game.

Memorial: The Titans beat Fort Bend Elkins 67-58 in the Region III final to also clinch their first trip to the state tournament. The Titans have won 24 in a row.

Northwest: Prior to 2017, the Texans never played in a state basketball tournament game. Junior guard Avery Anderson repeated last week as the 5A Region I MVP, and he made the state all-tournament team last year. Northwest also gets contributions from seniors Mason Hix, who's signed with UT-Arlington, Darrell Simpson, who's signed with Oklahoma football and Jordan Keys, junior Sammie Freeman and sophomore Julien Smith.

Alamo Heights: The Mules will be playing in their first state tournament game since 2012, and attempting to capture the program's first title since 1954. Alamo Heights also played in the 1991 state final and won a championship in 1952.

Class 4A

Dallas Carter (32-5) vs. Seminole (27-8), 1:30 p.m. Friday; Silsbee (28-8) vs. Somerset (28-9), 3 p.m. Friday

State final: 7 p.m Saturday

Carter: After losing the season series with Dallas Lincoln, the Cowboys edged out the Tigers 65-63 to clinch their first state tournament berth since 2005. Carter averages 71 points per game.

Seminole: The Indians knocked off Midlothian Heritage and Abilene Wylie to win the Region I tourney. Seminole, which last made the state tournament in 1999, won titles in 1955 and 1979.

Silsbee: The Tigers have reached the state title game the past two years, winning it all in 2017. The No. 1 4A team in the state is averaging 85 points per game and beat No. 2 Yates 120-103 in the Region III final.

Somerset: The Bulldogs upset No. 3 Freeport Brazosport and No. 15 Corpus Christi West Oso to win Region IV. It's the program's first trip to the state tournament.

Class 3A

Grandview (28-6) vs. Bowie (32-8), 1:30 p.m. Thursday; Mount Vernon (34-1) vs. Santa Rosa (24-14), 3 p.m. Thursday

State final: 10 a.m. Saturday

Grandview: The Zebras eliminated No. 1 Jarrell in the Region III final to clinch their first state tournament berth since 1986. The Zebras have won by 10 or more points in 18 games.

Bowie: The Jackrabbits make their 11th trip to the state tournament, but first since 1991. Bowie won state titles in its first five appearances, including four-straight from 1951-54 and again in 1974.

Mount Vernon: The Tigers are making their fifth trip to state, but first since winning in 1948. They also went in 1941, 1943 and 1944.

Santa Rosa: The Warriors are returning to the state tourney after losing to eventual champion Dallas Madison in last year's semifinals. They also went to state in 1962 and 2009.

Class 2A

Stinnett West Texas (34-2) vs. Shelbyville (32-4), 8:30 a.m. Friday; Thorndale (33-3) vs. Muenster (18-5), 10 a.m. Friday

State final: 1:30 p.m. Saturday

West Texas: For the third time this season, the Comanches beat district rival Stratford. This time it was in the Region I final, 56-45 to clinch a spot at the state tournament.

Shelbyville: The Dragons will be looking for their third state title, and first since 1984.

Thorndale: The No. 1 team in 2A is going to state for the third consecutive season. State champs in 2007 and 2008, the Bulldogs have lost in the semifinals in their past two attempts.

Muenster: The Hornets won basketball, baseball and football state titles in 2017. Senior guard/forward John Weger is averaging 19.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 2.2 steals per game.

Class 1A

Lipan (36-1) vs. Leggett (32-5), 8:30 a.m. Thursday; Gail Borden County (23-2) vs. Nazareth (30-5), 10 a.m. Thursday

State final: 8:30 a.m. Saturday

Lipan: The Indians are going for a second straight state title after beating Happy 46-43 in last year's final. Lipan, the No. 1 team in the state, hasn't dropped a game since November against 4A Argyle.

Leggett: The Pirates clinched a state berth for the first time since going back-to-back in 2009 and 2010.

Borden County: The Coyotes are at state for the second straight year. The football team won titles in 2016 and 2017.

Nazareth: The No. 2 Swifts are going for their seventh state title, first since 2010.

This story was originally published March 7, 2018 at 1:48 PM with the headline "Justin Northwest, eight others from DFW seek boys basketball gold this weekend."