High School

Texas (UIL) high school basketball state championship preview: Class 3A team-by-team breakdowns

SBLive Sports takes a closer look at the four teams vying for the Class 3A state title at the 2022-23 UIL Boys Basketball State Tournament at the Alamodome in San Antonio

Andrew McCulloch

With four months of regular-season competition and five rounds of the postseason now in the rear-view mirror, the road to the Texas high school boys basketball state championships is set to come to an exciting end for the Lone Star State’s most elite teams.

Only 24 out of the state’s 768 total UIL boys basketball squads that reached the playoffs remain standing, with the final four teams in Class 1A-6A converging at the Alamodome in San Antonio for the 2023 UIL Boys Basketball State Tournament from Thursday, March 9, to Saturday, March 11.

Here’s an in-depth look at the four teams vying for the next Class 3A Texas high school basketball state championship at the 2022-23 UIL Boys Basketball State Tournament.

Class 3A state semifinals:

Hooks Hornets (32-5) vs. Hitchcock Bulldogs (29-7), 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 9th, at the Alamodome in San Antonio

Lytle Pirates (34-6) vs. Childress Bobcats (27-7), 3 p.m. on Thursday, March 9th, at the Alamodome in San Antonio

Class 3A state championship game:

Hooks Hornets (32-5)/Hitchcock Bulldogs (29-7) vs. Lytle Pirates (34-6)/Childress Bobcats (27-7), 10 a.m. on Saturday, March 11th, at the Alamodome in San Antonio

CHILDRESS BOBCATS

Regular-season finish: 27-7 overall, 9-1 finish in District 2-3A, Region I-3A champions

How they got here:

  • W 56-55 vs. Brock in regional finals
  • W 62-49 vs. Wichita Falls City View in regional semifinals
  • W 60-57 vs. Brownfield in regional quarterfinals
  • W 69-46 vs. Lamesa in area round
  • W 58-47 vs. Dalhart in bi-district round

Head coach: Wayne Parker (5th season)

Total UIL state tournament appearances (most recent): Three (2015)

Total UIL state championships (most recent): Seeking first UIL boys basketball state title in school history

Players to watch: Sr. G Lamont Nickleberry; Jr. G Aiden Allen; Jr. G Billy Moore

Distance to Alamodome: 416 miles

What’s at stake: The Bobcats are going to be searching for a breakthrough in their third UIL Boys Basketball State Tournament appearance in program history. Childress will be looking to collect its first state tournament win in school history after previous state semifinal losses in 2014 and 1944.

Keys to success: For Childress, it all starts with Nickleberry — the team's only senior — on offense and in the locker room. He's helped lead a Bobcats' squad anchored by a strong group of five juniors to their first state semifinals appearance in nearly a decade, showing poise during crunch time of a three-point regional quarterfinals win over Brownfield and a one-point victory against Brock in the Region I-3A championship game. With Nickleberry alongside sharp-shooting junior guard Aiden Allen, the Bobcats are buoyed by one of the state's most talented backcourts in Class 3A. Expect Allen and Nickleberry to spearhead an aggressive defensive effort for Childress to get its standout guards into open space to create and capitalize off fast-break opportunities and capitalize by scoring uncontested transition buckets.

HITCHCOCK BULLDOGS

Regular-season finish: 29-7 overall, 14-0 finish in District 24-3A, Region III-3A champions

How they got here:

  • W 65-44 vs. New Waverly in regional finals
  • W 43-31 vs. Lorena in regional semifinals
  • W 45-35 vs. Orangefield in regional quarterfinals
  • W 72-49 vs. Diboll in area round
  • W 108-38 vs. Shepherd in bi-district round

Head coach: Christopher Jordan-Foster (5th season)

Total UIL state tournament appearances (most recent): Four (2022)

Total UIL state championships (most recent): Seeking first UIL boys basketball state title in school history

Players to watch: Jr. G Damien McDaniel; Soph. G Elijah Sherwood; Soph. F Lloyd Jones III

Distance to Alamodome: 232 miles

What’s at stake: The Bulldogs are making their second straight trip to the UIL Boys Basketball State Tournament and will be seeking their first state championship in program history, as well as Hitchcock's first appearance in a state title game since 2003 when it was a 2A school.

Keys to success: McDaniel, Jones and Sherwood represent the three returning starters from the 2021-22 Bulldogs' squad that reached the state semifinals last year. The Hitchcock trio also represents the only players on any team remaining in the 3A playoffs with prior state tournament experience. The Bulldogs are athletic and fast on the wings, which helps them play high-pressure, airtight press from end to end defensively. Hitchcock has depth and versatility in its starting lineup offensively, too, making it difficult for opponents to contain all of the Bulldogs' shooters simultaneously.

HOOKS HORNETS

Regular-season finish: 32-5 overall, 11-1 finish in District 14-3A, Region II-3A champions

How they got here:

  • W 56-43 vs. Mineola in regional finals
  • W 52-50 vs. Ponder in regional semifinals
  • W 42-41 vs. Jefferson in regional quarterfinals
  • W 62-51 vs. New London West Rusk in area round
  • W 52-41 vs. Quitman in bi-district round

Head coach: Michael Jackson (3rd season)

Total UIL state tournament appearances (most recent): Making first UIL Boys Basketball State Tournament appearance in school history

Total UIL state championships (most recent): None

Players to watch: Jr. G Carveion Johnson; Sr. F Landon Hamilton; Jr. G Jatavious Johnson; Jr. F Keyshawn Walls

Distance to Alamodome: 436 miles

What’s at stake: The Hornets carry an 11-game winning streak into the state semifinals and will be making their UIL Boys Basketball State Tournament debut after a postseason run fueled by close finishes and one-score games. 

Keys to success: What the Hornets might lack in state-tournament experience, they make up for with size. Nearly half of Hooks' rotation — six of 13 varsity players — tower at 6-foot-2 or above. The Hornets will need to utilize their length defensively in order to keep opposing offenses out of the lane and prevent opportunities to break out in transition. Hooks boasts a 28-1 record this year in games where its defense has held opponents to less than 50 points offensively.

LYTLE PIRATES

Regular-season finish: 34-6 overall, 10-0 finish in District 28-3A, Region IV-3A champions

How they got here:

  • W 67-47 vs. Corpus Christi London in regional finals
  • W 80-50 vs. Santa Gertrudis Academy in regional semifinals
  • W 55-37 vs. Poth in regional quarterfinals
  • W 93-68 vs. Columbus in area round
  • W 87-52 vs. South San Antonio West Campus in bi-district round

Head coach: Jacob Hernandez (7th season)

Total UIL state tournament appearances (most recent): Two (1924)

Total UIL state championships (most recent): Seeking first UIL boys basketball state title in school history

Players to watch: Sr. G/F Jordan Balderaz; Sr. G Eli Vega; Jr. F Tristan Guevara

Distance to Alamodome: 26 miles

What’s at stake: The Pirates have utilized one of the most explosive offenses throughout South Texas to storm their way back to the UIL Boys Basketball State Tournament for the first time in 99 years. Lyle brings an 18-game winnings streak into the state tourney and has outscored its previous five playoff opponents by an average of 25.6 points per game so far throughout the postseason.

Keys to success: Few players in this year's state tournament field have the same caliber of offensive firepower as Balderaz, who has been a double-double machine for the Pirates throughout the postseason as well as their scoring leader. He's averaging 25.6 points, 12.0 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.9 steals and 1.7 blocks per game on 57.8% shooting during a stellar senior season for Lytle. The Pirates will need to start fast and build up some early momentum to get into the rhythm of their up-tempo, high-scoring offense. The magic number for Lytle's offense should be 75 points — the Pirates own a 23-0 record in games where they have scored that much or more.

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Andrew McCulloch
ANDREW MCCULLOCH

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