The TAPPS state basketball tournament will get underway in Mansfield and Fort Worth Friday, and many teams won’t have to travel far to get there.
Five local boys teams and six local girls teams will have a chance to advance to the TAPPS state championships with a win.
And most notable is the presence of five TAPPS 1-5A teams — three boys and two girls — in the 5A semifinals.
There’s a chance the boys and girls 5A final will be an all 1-5A affair.
But that’s no surprise to any of the coaches.
“There’s no doubt that our district is the toughest in the state,” said Prestonwood Christian boys coach Brad Freeman. “Even tougher this year than last year.”
But Prestonwood came out on top of the district, as did the Argyle Liberty Christian girls.
And both feel confident heading into state after surviving the district gauntlet. “Playing in that district gets you ready to play anybody in the state,” said Liberty girls coach Ken Burroughs.
The flipside of that is facing district opponents in the playoffs, as Prestonwood will do against John Paul II on Friday and Bishop Dunne will in the 5A final if it defeats Houston St. Thomas.
But at the end of the day, each team is happy to be where it wanted to be at the start of the season, no matter whom they have to face.
“This is the goal every team had going into the year,” said Dunne coach Michael Alfers. “You kind of get to see if they have that real desire, if they want to go after it.”