Day 2: Texas high school boys basketball UIL state championships. Which schools won titles?
Day two of the Texas high school boys basketball UIL state championships are here.
The Class 3A Division 1, 3A Division 2, 4A Division 1, and 4A Division 2 state championships are scheduled for Friday, March 7.
See which schools won titles, and check back for results as the day continues.
Class 3A Division 2: No. 1 Kountze throttles No. 13 Paradise
In its 11th state tournament appearance, Kountze was looking for its fifth state championship and first in nearly 18 years.
Kountze (38-2) delivered a dominant performance, defeating Paradise 67-41 to win the Class 3A Division 2 state championship. The Lions were dominant from the start, taking a 7-0 lead to start the game and a 16-7 lead into the second quarter.
Kountze outscored Paradise 26-13 in the second frame, establishing a dominant 22-point lead. From that point, the Lions cruised to victory; Kountze shot 11-26 (42%) from three-point range and scored 31 points off Paradise’s 22 turnovers.
Despite Kountze creating a sizable lead, Paradise went into the second half wanting to “win the third quarter.” Winning the game was a tall task, but the Panthers were able to accomplish that goal, outscoring Kountze 10-9 in the frame.
“We just got off to a slow start,” Paradise head coach Bo Rickner said. “And that’s probably the one thing that’s been our Achilles’ Heel these last few games — just not starting off the way we want to. (Kountze) was lights out today. But proud of these guys.”
Paradise (30-7) was led by sophomore Cooper Jones, who tallied 15 points and seven rebounds.
Kountze senior Zac Sells, the game’s MVP, scored a team-high 28 points on 9 of 17 shooting and also had three rebounds and three assists. Senior Mason Donal was also a key contributor with 23 points on 9 of 15 shooting, four rebounds and four assists.
Class 3A Division 1: No. 2 Tatum steamrolls Columbus
Tatum took advantage of cold shooting by Columbus and a nearly unstoppable fast break to down the Cardinals 84-49 and win its first basketball state title in the Class 3A Division 1 state championship.
Tatum (32-2), No. 2 in the state in Class 3A according to the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches, was making its fifth appearance at state. Columbus (17-3) was looking for its first basketball state title in three trips after winning the 3A D2 football title this season.
Columbus struggled from the field in the first half and just didn’t have an answer for the Tatum fast break. Columbus trailed 7-6 after a free thrown by Arizona State football signee Grayson Rigdon, but Tatum proceeded to go on a 21-2 run to close out the first quarter and the Cardinals never recovered.
The lead ballooned to 50-19 after a three pointer by Luke Sigler with 39 seconds left before halftime. In the first half Tatum shot 52.6% (20-38) from the floor, had a 16-0 advantage in fast-break points and a 20-4 points off turnovers margin.
The Eagles grabbed 10 steals and forced 13 turnovers before the intermission. Columbus shot 26.9% in the first half hitting 7 of 26 field goals.
Rigdon, who averaged 35.3 points a game this season, finished with 31 for Columbus. Four Tatum players finished in double digit scoring with Sigler, the title-game MVP, and JaCorie Bradley and leading the way with 26 each, Jordan Chambers chipped in 13 and Cooper Whiteus had 11.
Class 4A Division 2: No. 12 Kennedale holds off No. 8 Houston Wheatley
Despite hitting only 10 of 26 free throws and making 1 of 10 three pointers, Kennedale holds on to defeat Houston Wheatley 69-65 in the Class 4A Division 2 state championship game.
Click here for in-depth coverage of the game.
Class 4A Division 1: Top-ranked Dallas Kimball blasts No. 6 Houston Washington
Dallas Kimball showed why it is unquestionably the No. 1 team in Class 4A this season after the Knights pounded No. 6 Houston Washington 71-48 in the 4A Division 1 championship game.
It was Kimball’s 15th state appearance and the Knights eighth state title. Kimball (28-5) last won a championship in 2023.
No. 6 Washington (29-5) trailed 20-19 at the end of the first quarter, but Kimball went on a 19-4 run in the second period to build a comfortable lead. Marri Wickware and Lance Carr had thunderous dunks during the spree to spark the Knights.
In the second half the Eagles went on a 9-0 run to cut the Kimball lead to 43-36 with 2:21 left in the third quarter, but a dunk by Carr pushed the lead back to 9. Kimball responded with a 24-2 run to make it 67-38 with 2:41 left in the game.
Wickware, the Championship Game MVP, led all scorers with 21 points for Kimball. Carr added 17 with Jaylin Hancock and Jaylon Dean-Vines scoring 10 points each for the Knights.
Jalen Webb and Samuel Johnson paced Washington with nine points each. It was Washington’s second state appearance in the past three seasons. The Eagles have yet to win a state title.
This story was originally published March 7, 2025 at 12:34 PM.
.jpg)