Boys basketball regional semifinal Fast Break: Eaton falls, more from area
Welcome to The Fast Break, a Star-Telegram series featuring the top Fort Worth-area high school basketball news, performances and results from the UIL boys basketball regional semifinals.
Birdville sets up clash with Denton
After a state championship appearance in 2025, Birdville is one step closer to getting back to the state tournament.
Birdville (30-5), No. 6 in the state in Class 5A according to the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches, soundly defeated No. 23 Amarillo Tascosa 71-43 in a 5A Division I regional semifinal on Tuesday afternoon at Vernon High School. The Hawks will be making their second consecutive trip to a regional final.
Senior guard Avery Webb led they way with 19 points, while senior forward Sawyer Dotson was also a key contributor with 15 points. Dotson reached a milestone on Feb. 17 in a win against Denton Ryan by eclipsing the 2,000 career points mark.
The Hawks will face district rival Denton (29-4) at a time and place that is to be determined. No. 3 Denton defeated Birdville twice en route to claiming the District 6-5A title (64-62 in overtime and 55-46).
Tascosa ends its season at 27-7.
No. 3 Little Elm too much for Mansfield
Zion Robinson and Caden Shaver led Mansfield in scoring, but the Tigers couldn’t keep up with Little Elm during their 92-72 loss in a Class 6A Division II regional semifinal on Tuesday night at Hebron High School.
Mansfield’s season ends at 24-9. The Tigers amassed the most wins since the 2006-07 season.
Mansfield enjoyed a bounce back year after going 13-17 overall and 4-8 in district last season. This was their first trip to the playoffs since 2021.
Little Elm (34-2) will play Grand Prairie (29-4) in the Region I final. Grand Prairie edged out Crowley 65-63 on Tuesday night.
The Lobos, No. 3 in the 6A rankings according to the TABC, led 21-15 after the first quarter and then outscored the Tigers by 15 points in the second. Little Elm led 72-45 after three frames.
Kensington Candler led all scorers with 26 points for the Lobos. Little Elm had 10 players that scored points, including 13 by Joshua Weems, 12 from Ian Berry and 10 from Eli Fegans.
Robinson led Mansfield with 22 points while Shaver chipped in 19. K.T. Turner added 11 points for the Tigers.
No. 7 Mansfield Summit thumps El Paso Andress
Mansfield Summit in on a quest to win back-to-back state championships.
The Jags moved closer toward that goal with a dominant 63-47 victory over El Paso Andress on Tuesday in a Class 5A Division II regional semifinal at Midland Christian High School. Summit (31-6), No. 7 in the state in 5A according to the TABC, will face El Paso Burges (24-11) at a time and place yet to be determined, with an opportunity to punch a ticket to its third state semifinal in program history.
Joseph Creal led Summit with a team high 22 points, hitting 4 of the Jaguars’ 5 three pointers. Jaxon Sneed followed closely behind with 21 points and Emund Prichett added 10.
Grand Prairie survives furious Crowley comeback
Steven McLeod, a 3-star power forward, finished with 28 points and 12 rebounds as Grand Prairie survived a late rally by Crowley, 65-63 in a Class 6A Division II regional semifinal on Tuesday night at Ellis Davis Field House in Dallas.
Grand Prairie (29-4) will play Little Elm (34-2) in the Region I final. Little Elm defeated Mansfield 92-72 on Tuesday night.
Crowley (15-17) scored seven straight points to take a 19-16 lead with five minutes left in the second quarter.
But the Gophers, No. 17 in the 6A rankings according to the TABC, ended the half with a 15-3 run. They led 31-22 at the intermission as McLeod had 16.
Grand Prairie’s largest lead was 19 in the third before the Eagles made their comeback.
Crowley cut the deficit to 13 at the end of three and then pulled within 62-56 with 2:10 left in the final stanza. Victor James nailed a three-pointer that made it a four-point game with 1:17 on the clock.
The Gophers were horrible from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter, missing 9 of 11 tries in the final two minutes that kept Crowley in the game.
Down 65-63 with 1.3 seconds left, Crowley held possession under the opposite basket. Jaelon Germany received the inbound pass and got a shot up at half court, but the ball went off the back of the rim.
No. 10 Kennedale keeps rolling, No. 1 Carter up next
Kennedale kept its hopes for a second consecutive state title alive as the Wildcats downed Tyler Chapel Hill 63-56 in a Class 4A Division II regional semifinal on Tuesday night at Forney High School.
Kennedale (31-5), No. 10 in the final TABC Class 4A state poll, will now face its toughest test yet in No. 1 Dallas Carter (28-6) later this week in the 4A Region II Final. Chapel Hill’s fine season ends at 32-3.
The game was nip and tuck throughout. Kennedale jumped out to a 19-18 lead after one quarter, led by guard Trey Smith who scored 9 of his game-high 20 points in the first period.
Kennedale led 34-28 at the half, but the Bulldogs rallied to take a 46-45 lead entering the fourth quarter behind Isiah Mayfield who scored 7 of his 14 points in the third frame.
The Wildcats pulled into the lead in the fourth quarter behind Mason Forbes who hit a pair of clutch threes and finished with 11 points. Bryson Nickerson chipped in 14 points for Kennedale.
Marquise Collins led Chapel Hill with 15 points which included 3 three pointers.
Eaton fizzles out against Allen
Eaton entered a Class 6A Division I regional semifinal contest against No. 24 Allen, looking to make a regional final for the first time in program history.
After a quick 5-0 start, Allen took back control with a 10-0 run and pulled away for a 49-31 victory on Tuesday at Coppell High School. Allen (24-6) will face No. 2 North Crowley (32-3) in the regional finals at a time and place yet to be determined.
Allen, ranked No. 24 in Class 6A by the TABC, took a 28-14 halftime lead and gradually extended it. Senior Nehemiah Lawrence, a 5-foot-6 guard, led the way with a game-high 20 points.
Eaton was led by Wesley Zenon and Kent Kelly Jr., who both scored 8 points.
Eaton, a relatively new school that opened in 2015, made its fifth playoff appearance, finished the season 28-8, and won the District 4-6A championship with a 14-2 record.
It was arguably the best season in school history, although Eaton did win three playoff games in 2024, before the split-division format was implemented in UIL basketball. Both runs to the regional semifinals were under head coach Tim Thomas.
BOYS SCORES
North Crowley 71, Coppell 40
Allen 49, Haslet Eaton 31
Little Elm 92, Mansfield 72
Grand Prairie 65, Crowley 63
NRH Birdville 71, Amarillo Tascosa 43
Denton 57, Amarillo 41
El Paso Burges 44, FW Brewer 40
Mansfield Summit 63, El Paso Andress 47
Amarillo West Plains 69, FW Southwest 25
Brock 67, Amarillo Randall 45
Kennedale 63, Tyler Chapel Hill 56
Paradise 44, Hooks 29
This story was originally published March 3, 2026 at 10:06 PM.
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