By Michael Adams
Austin Sports Journal
When Westlake takes the floor Saturday night at the Alamodome in the UIL boys basketball Class 6A Division II state championship, the Chaparrals won’t just be playing for a state championship.
They’ll be trying to break a curse that has haunted Austin-area programs for nearly a decade.
Since 2016, both boys and girls high school basketball teams from the Austin area have struggled against Dallas-area opponents on the UIL state tournament stage.
Across boys and girls basketball, Austin-area teams are just 3-14 against Dallas-area schools in state tournament games during that span.
The Chaparrals will try to change that when they face Little Elm in the Class 6A Division II state championship at 7 p.m. Saturday.
“It’s always been a dream (to get to the state championship),” said Westlake senior Mack Martin. “Hopefully we can get there Saturday and bring it home.”
Westlake chasing a Class 6A state championship
Bringing home the hardware Saturday may be a big challenge for Martin and the Chaparrals.
Westlake is all too familiar with this trend.
Westlake is making its fourth trip to the Alamodome in the last 10 years and are 2-3 in state tournament games. However, those two wins came against Humble Atascociota (2021) and Houston Cypress Falls (2026).
The Chaparrals are 0-3 against teams from the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
Westlake fell to Duncanville 66-53 in the 2021 title game and dropped a 70-55 decision to Allen in the 2018 state semifinals.
Perhaps the most painful defeat came in 2022 when McKinney edged Westlake 68-66 in overtime in the state semifinals.
Those losses are part of a broader pattern across the region.
DFW vs Austin at the UIL basketball state tournament
Westlake’s boys also watched firsthand how difficult the Dallas-area hurdle can be last week.
Last week, Westlake’s girls team saw its perfect 40-0 season end with a loss to Lancaster in the Class 6A Division II state championship at the Alamodome.
Now the Chaparrals have a chance to respond.
“They came out 40-0 and then they ended up taking an L, sadly, but we’re hoping to bring one home for them,” Martin said.
The odds certainly aren’t in Westlake’s favor Saturday.
Austin-area high school boys basketball teams are just 1-6 against Dallas-area opponents in state tournament games since 2016. The only victory during that span came in 2019, when Liberty Hill defeated Decatur 58-51 in the Class 4A state semifinals.
Even when expanding the sample to include girls basketball, the results remain lopsided.
Austin-area girls teams are 2-8 against Dallas-area opponents in state tournament games since 2016 with Cedar Park getting both wins.
The most recent examples came earlier last week at the Alamodome in the UIL girls basketball state championships.
Lancaster defeated Westlake 51-37 in the Class 6A Division II girls championship, Denton Ryan beat Glenn 45-34 in the Class 5A Division I final and Dallas Lincoln rolled past Fredericksburg 77-49 in the Class 4A Division II title game.
Why Dallas-area teams have dominated
Many of those matchups haven’t been close.
Mansfield Timberview defeated Cedar Park by 22 points in a 2024 Class 5A girls state semifinal. Dallas Lincoln’s 28-point win over Fredericksburg last week was one of the most lopsided championship games of this year’s tournament.
In fact, the average margin of defeat is 15.1 points for Austin-area teams against DFW teams in the state tournament.
The pattern has fueled a perception that the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex holds a decisive competitive edge when it comes to basketball depth and talent.
But Westlake enters Saturday’s championship with a chance to flip the script.
The Chaparrals advanced to the title game with a dominant semifinal performance against Cypress Falls, building a large second-half lead behind Texas signee Bo Ogden, a red-hot Martin, who hit three consecutive threes to open the second half, and a defense that has powered the program throughout the playoffs.
“I put hours and hours of work in, and it’s just about paying off,” Martin said. “All those hours in the dark, it’s paying off right here.”
Westlake’s defense could be the difference
A win Saturday would deliver Westlake its first boys basketball state championship and its first win against a Dallas-area opponent on the UIL’s biggest stage. It would also represent a rare breakthrough for the Austin area.
For years, programs from the Dallas area have stood as the final hurdle between area basketball teams and state titles.
On Saturday night, Westlake will try to prove that the gap isn’t as wide as the numbers suggest.
Defense has been the backbone of Westlake’s playoff run and will need to be Saturday against the Lobos.
“If we can guard like that on the defensive side, then we’ll give ourselves a chance,” said Westlake head coach Robert Lucero.
Game info
What: UIL boys basketball Class 6A Division II state championship
Who: Westlake (32-6) vs. Little Elm (36-2)
Where: The Alamodome, San Antonio
When: 7 p.m., Saturday
How to watch: Stream live on the NFHS Network
Players to know: Little Elm – PG Kensington Candler (18.9 PPG, 4.5 RPG), F Eli Fegans (6.5 RPG), F Joshua Weems (14.7 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 2.5 APG). Westlake – G/F Bo Ogden, F Mack Martin, G Hayes Goldman.
Austin vs. Dallas at the UIL basketball state tournament
Since 2016
Boys: Austin area vs Dallas area — 1-6
Girls: Austin area vs Dallas area — 2-8
Combined: Austin area vs Dallas area — 3-14
Westlake vs Dallas-area teams at state
Westlake is 0-3 against Dallas-area teams at state since 2018.
2022: McKinney 68, Westlake 66 OT (6A semifinal)
2021: Duncanville 66, Westlake 53 (6A championship)
2018: Allen 70, Westlake 55 (6A semifinal)
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