Nationally ranked Duncanville basketball is a complete dynasty. They have paved their way to success each and every season they have stepped onto a basketball court- whether they've won a state title or not. This year, the Panthers enters the state tournament as back-to-back defending champions and they are looking to three-peat. VYPE DFW takes a look at the road they took to get here and dives into what fans can expect out of this Panthers' squad:
Season in Review
Last season, Duncanville routed Austin Westlake in a 66-53 victory to win their second-straight state title. The Panthers harnessed and used that fire to take this season by storm. Although they lost their opening game to nationally ranked Mater Dei, the Panthers had no trouble regrouping and focusing on the rest of the season ahead. Their opening loss would be their only loss of the season as they posted an undefeated 15-0 district record to finish at the top of their district. While outscoring their opponents by nearly 1,000 points, Duncanville defeated DeSoto, Dallas St. Mark's, Arlington Martin, nationally ranked Richardson, Mansfield Timberview, and more en route to the playoffs.
During the playoffs, the Panthers had no plans of slowing down and it showed! Duncanville recorded playoff victories against Killeen Shoemaker, Rockwall-Heath, DeSoto, Cypress Ranch, and most recently a 61-38 defeat of Garland in order to advance to the state tournament.
What To Expect:
The Panthers are taking on Atascocita (34-6) in the UIL Class 6A boys basketball state semifinals. Atascocita is back in the state tournament after coming up short last season and will prove to put up one of the biggest fights that the Panthers have seen all season. However, the Panthers host a whole slew of stars including Ronald Holland (who leads the team with an average of about 16 points per game as well as about 8 rebounds per game), Anthony Black, Aric Demings, Cameron Barnes, Ashton Hardaway, CJ Ford, and Davion Sykes. With a team that knows how to get on the board early, remain consistent, and play smart defense, there aren't many who would bet against the Panthers. Fans can expect a strong outing in the state semifinals from Duncanville.
Tip-off is set for 8:30 p.m. on Friday, March 11 at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.