North Crowley boys basketball bests Allen, advances to state semifinals
North Crowley entered a Class 6A Division I regional final against Allen with a “bad taste” in its mouth, according to point guard Isaak Hayes.
That’s because North Crowley fell to Allen in the 2025 regional semifinals. But in a fast-paced rematch, North Crowley (33-3) flipped the script.
The Panthers seized a slight advantage in the first quarter and maintained it the rest of the way to defeat Allen 72-55 Friday at Thomas Coliseum to advance to their first state semifinal since 2008, the year they last won a boys’ basketball state title.
“I like that we stayed the course,” North Crowley head coach Tommy Brakel said. “We just stayed the course and won every quarter. And that was one of the goals going into the game — just keep grinding the entire game. It was always going to be a game of runs.”
North Crowley, ranked No. 2 in Class 6A by the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches, will face No. 6 Duncanville at a time and place yet to be determined.
“We’ll enjoy this one for 15, 20 minutes, and then we’ll start preparing for them,” Brakel said.
Duncanville took down Cypress Ranch 49-41 to advance. No. 4 San Antonio Brennan and No. 5 Humble Atascocita still remain in a grueling gauntlet of a playoff bracket.
North Crowley stays the course
The Panthers got off to a strong 13-6 start against Allen (24-7), the TABC’s No. 24-ranked squad, and took a 13-10 lead into the second quarter. That’s when Hayes went to work.
He went on a quick individual 8-0 run, hitting an NBA range 3-pointer, a catch and shoot 3-pointer, and two free throws in less than two minutes of play. He finished with 18 points in the contest.
“To beat Allen and go to state, it means a lot,” Hayes said. “We have a chance to go do something special.”
North Crowley took a 29-22 lead into the half.
A pair of third quarter 3-pointers from Trey Hall, who finished with five makes beyond the arc and 17 points, helped North Crowley build its lead to 48-38 entering the fourth quarter.
“I feel blessed to make it to round five,” Hall said. “We came together. Last year, we weren’t together. We’ve had good team bonding and everything. And that’s the priority — coming together.”
One of the highlights of the final frame was and one layup from Jonathan Fox, who tallied 15 points. He recently made national headlines when he finished a 360 dunk off an alley oop from Hayes in the regional semifinals.
“He has been playing great,” Brakel said. “And he has been playing great all year long. He made some huge plays for us tonight on both ends of the floor.”
With disciplined, patient play, the Panthers maintained it as Allen eventually had to intentionally foul. Five fourth quarter free throws from Alex Barther II helped seal the deal.
Allen was led by fiesty 5-foot-6 guard Nehemiah Lawrence, who finished with a team high 19 points.
With the win, the Panthers are one away from their first trip to a state championship since 2008.
“I just feel blessed,” Fox said. “I’m so glad that I’m here. Round five. I’ve never been here before, and it feels great. ... We have a lot of good players. A lot of guys that can really help us win. We got shot blockers and shooters. We’ve got finishers. We’ve got everything in one team that you can dream of.”
This story was originally published March 6, 2026 at 9:35 PM.
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