UIL girls basketball playoff preview: Storylines, teams and players to watch

By Michael Adams
Austin Sports Journal

The 2025 UIL Texas high school girls basketball playoffs get underway Monday and Tuesday with bi-district games. You can find the matchups and schedule here.

Here are the storylines, teams and players to watch heading into the postseason:

Top storylines

Liberty Hill players surround Soma Okolo (24) of Glenn during a District 25-5A women’s basketball game at the Panther Den at Liberty Hill High School on Friday, Jan. 24, 2024 in Liberty Hill, Texas. (Michael Adams/Austin Sports Journal)

No. 1 vs. No. 2 in the first round

It’s rare, but a No. 1 vs. No. 2 first round playoff game can happen with the UIL playoff format. San Antonio Wagner (29-3), ranked No. 1 by the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches, will take on Glenn (33-3), ranked No. 2, Tuesday evening at McNeil High School in a Class 5A Division I bi-district playoff. It’s a rematch from last year’s Class 5A regional quarterfinals. Glenn defeated Wagner 61-47 and went on to reach the regional finals. With the division split, the winner will be the favorite to win Region IV.

Region III in the Class 4A is loaded

It’s likely the 4A state champion in both divisions will come out of Region III. In Division I, No. 2 Waco La Vega is a heavy favorite, but don’t sleep on unranked Burnet, who is a sleeper team in the region. The two teams are on opposite sides of the Region III bracket and could meet in the finals.

Region III in Division II is possibly the toughest bracket in the state, featuring No. 10 Houston Wheatley, No. 14 Lorena, No. 23 Hamshire Fannett and No. 21 Jarrell. Not to mention very good Salado and Smithville teams. Salado drew a tough first round matchup against Lorena. The winner of that game will likely get La Grange in the second round. Smithville should survive its first-round matchup with Brookshire Royal but will likely get Jarrell in the next round. This is the bracket to watch in the playoffs in all classifications.

Can an Austin-area team survive 6A Division II?

6A Division II is equally as brutal as 4A Division II. The top six in the state are in this bracket, including No. 1 Converse Judson (Region IV), No. 2 Fort Worth Boswell (RI), No. 3 Cypress Springs (RII), No. 4 Denton Guyer (R1), No. 5 Lancaster (RII) and No. 6 Denton Braswell (RI).

For the Austin-area, No. 21 Westlake, No. 22 Vista Ridge and No. 24 San Marcos all reside in Region IV, which means to get to the state semifinals they will have to eventually beat Judson, who’s only loss to was 5A No. 1 San Antonio Wagner. Vista Ridge could see Judson in the regional semifinals, while Westlake or San Marcos won’t face Judson until the regional final should the teams get there. The Chaparrals have a tough first round matchup against a very good Vandegrift team.

Is there a Liberty Hill-Cedar Park rematch in the cards?

Liberty Hill and Cedar Park are on opposite ends of the Region IV bracket in Class 5A Division II, which is free from San Antonio Wagner, Pieper and Glenn. In fact, both the Panthers and Timberwolves appear to have fairly easy roads to the Region IV final where the two District 25-5A rivals would meet for the fourth time this season.

Liberty Hill holds a 2-1 record over Cedar Park, beating the Timberwolves in the finals of the Austin High Christmas Tournament and by one point at Cedar Park on Jan. 10. The Timberwolves won the most recent meeting at Liberty Hill by 11 points on Feb. 4.

15 players to watch

Anderson’s Brooke Fuller (12) squares up to take a three-pointer during a District 24-5A women’s basketball game at Anderson High School on Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2024 in Austin, Texas. (Michael Adams/Austin Sports Journal)

Maddie Broxterman, Vandegrift, sophomore guard
Saania Khawaja, Vandegrift, sophomore guard
Skylar Bourland, Vista Ridge, senior guard
Tamia King, Westlake, junior center
Aniya Taylor, Jarrell, sophomore guard
Gabby Mundy, Liberty Hill senior guard
Bella Dabbs, Georgetown, senior guard
Reese Hoadley, Georgetown, senior guard
Emy Chen, McCallum, senior guard
Soma Okolo, Glenn, senior center
Ally Ihler, Salado, senior guard
Nyla Anderson, Bowie, senior guard
Alisha Peavy, Pieper, senior forward
Hope Edwards, Cedar Park, senior guard
Brooke Fuller, Anderson, senior guard

5 teams to watch

Liberty Hill’s Reagan Robbins (3) gets around Ariel Goppy (40) of Glenn during a District 25-5A women’s basketball game at the Panther Den at Liberty Hill High School on Friday, Jan. 24, 2024 in Liberty Hill, Texas. (Michael Adams/Austin Sports Journal)

Georgetown (28-4): The Eagles are a senior led team, which often translates into deep playoff runs. No. 10 Georgetown has arguably one of the best guard trios in Class 5A – Dabbs, Hoadley and Ainsley Herbert. A potential tough third-round matchup with No. 21 Beaumont West Brook could be the only thing standing between the Eagles and the Class 5A Division I state semifinals.

Cedar Park (23-8): The Timberwolves are no strangers to deep playoff runs and look to be on a collision course with district rival Liberty Hill in the Class 5A Division II Region IV bracket. Guards Ahnna Breiner, Mariah Davis and Edwards provide as scoring machine for Cedar Park that could have the Timberwolves back in the state semifinals.

Liberty Hill (29-3): The Panthers might have something to say about Cedar Park’s ambitions of returning to the state semifinals for the second year in a row. Gabby Mundy will be playing with a mission to end her high school career in San Antonio.

Glenn (32-3): If the Grizzlies can get past No. 1 San Antonio Wagner in the first round, they should make a deep run and finish their season at the Alamodome in March.

Granger (25-6): The Lions are the team no one will see coming, despite being ranked No. 19 in Class 2A. The District 27-2A champion is in a winnable Region IV in the Division II bracket. Led by senior forward Kelsey Dittrich and senior guard Sofia Bernal, Granger is primed for a deep run in the playoffs.