By Michael Adams
madmas@onthesidlinessports.com

As the 2023-24 Texas high school boys basketball playoff on the horizon, momentum is everything.

Westlake and Bowie both brought six-game winning streaks into Friday’s District 26-6A showdown at Westlake High School.

In the end, the Chaparrals kept their momentum going with a 52-45 victory over their rivals in the On the Sidelines Sports’ Austin Metro Boys Basketball Game of the Week.

Westlake capitalized on 16 trips to the free-throw line, making 18 of 31 attempts. Leading scorer Wonder Kahozi put in 11 of his game-high 23 points from the charity stripe.

“We knew Bowie was a good team and were going to give us a good fight; and they did,” Kahozi said. “We knew what we had to fix from the first game and created opportunities to get the win.”           

• See more photos from Friday’s game

The Chaps extended their winning streak to seven games and have two remaining before a week-long break before the playoffs. Westlake head coach Robert Lucero said keeping the momentum going was ultra-important for Westlake (24-7, 12-2).

“We have a quick turnaround; we have to go play at Buda Johnson and game will be for (playoff seeding), then we have to make sure we stay in rhythm with Akins (Friday), and then we have a weeklong break,” he added.

The Chaps face the Jaguars Tuesday at Johnson High School in Buda, which will likely determine who gets the No. 2 seed from 26-6A. Johnson defeated Westlake 54-52 on a last-second basket in the teams’ first meeting at Westlake High School on Jan. 5.

For Bowie (21-9, 8-5), Friday’s loss brought its six-game winning streak to a halt. However, the Bulldogs didn’t go down without a fight.

Bowie didn’t have the opportunities at the free-throw line that Westlake did. The Bulldogs made just five trips and shot a total of nine free throws, making six of them.

Senior guard Braden Spinden led Bowie with 15 points and was the only Bulldog to score in double digits.

The Bulldogs could have claimed their postseason ticket with a win over the Chaps. They did, however, guarantee at the very least a tie for the fourth playoff spot.

Bowie will clinch a playoff spot with one win in its final three games or a Dripping Springs loss in the Tigers’ final two games.

Up Next

Westlake at Johnson, 7 p.m., Tuesday

Bowie vs. Lake Travis, 8 p.m., Tuesday

Box Score

Westlake 52, Bowie 45	1	2	3	4
Bowie	7	15	11	12
Westlake	11	14	13	14