The UIL boys basketball state championships will take place this week in San Antonio, with the semifinals starting on Thursday and all six title games being played on Saturday.
The Houston area had several top contenders heading into the regional semifinals, but with Katy Seven Lakes, Aldine Nimitz, Cypress Ranch, Bellaire, Clear Springs, Washington, Fort Bend Marshall and Iowa Colony suffering losses over the last two rounds, just two local teams remain in the state title hunt: Hitchcock and Stafford.
Hitchcock—the reigning Class 3A champion—is the top-ranked team in its classification according to the most recent Texas Association of Basketball Coaches poll. The Bulldogs will face No. 3 San Antonio Cole on Thursday at 3 p.m., with the victorious team set to play the winner of No. 8 Holliday and No. 6 Ponder in Saturday’s Class 3A championship game, which is scheduled for Saturday at 10 a.m.
Hitchcock won all seven of its postseason games by double digits last season, but this year’s run has been even more impressive. The Bulldogs have an average win margin of 31.4 points through the 2024 playoffs, with an 83-44 rout of No. 9 Kountze in last weekend’s regional championship game.
Stafford, the No. 11-ranked team in Class 4A, seems to have a bit more of an uphill climb. The Spartans will face No. 1 Oak Cliff Faith Family Academy on Friday at 3 p.m. in the semifinals, with No. 3 Canyon Randall and No. 6 Silsbee on the other side of the bracket. The Class 4A championship game is scheduled for Saturday at 7 p.m.
This season marks the third consecutive 30-plus-win campaign for Stafford, which toppled Iowa Colony in overtime last weekend to advance to the state semifinals. The Spartans are led by Lamar commit Braden East, who is a three-star prospect and the No. 46 player in Texas, according to 247 Sports.