SAN ANTONIO — A pattern did not just continue, last Saturday night, it was magnified.
Under the bright lights of the Alamodome, varsity boys’ season ended in a way that head coach Robert Lucero was all too used to. The Chaparrals were smothered facing Little Elm in the 6A UIL Division II State Championship. After trailing 26-10 at halftime, there was little they could do as they fell 57-35. For this team, it marked off a good season. For Lucero, it marked another deep playoff run shot down by a North Texas powerhouse. And this time, the numbers told the story even more than the score board.
The Chaps shot just 22% from the field, and an even worse 2-for-22 from beyond the arc. Unable to find any rhythm offensively against the Lobos length and size advantage. Little Elm captured their first state championship in program history and finished the season with a 37-2 record. From the tip, they controlled the tempo.
“They stayed in control and forced turnovers and turned them into fast break points,” junior guard Mack Martin said.
Nothing seemed easy offensively. It was an effort that mirrored what Westlake has done in the past in San Antonio. 41% shooting in 2018, 37% in the 2021 final, 46% in 2022 but this time, efficiency dropped just about as low as possible.
“They’re a really good team,” senior guard Bo Ogden said. “Every shot felt pressured.”
The Lobos forced the Chaps into challenging shots and forced long possessions that failed to get many plays in motion. Even when their offense created space, shots they had relied on all season to fall couldn’t.
“I think we missed some open ones we usually make,” Ogden said. “But yeah, it felt like every shot had pressure.”
Westlake made early attempts to slow the game down, expecting Little Elm to get as many possessions as possible. For a stretch it worked, until Little Elm started trapping, and forced close to double digit turnovers before halftime.
“We were able to slow them down early,” Lucero said, “but they started running… and it wore on us. Once they got that lead, it was hard to chip away.”
The slow crumbling that occurred in this game has happened in all of Westlake’s recent trips to Texas’ biggest stage.
Time after time, when the Chaps have made it all the way to the Alamo dome, they have run into the same kind of teams.
In 2018, it was Allen.
In 2021, it was Duncanville.
In 2022, it was McKinney.
Years apart, different rosters but same ending, ringless.
In nearly every case, the games have been predictable. Physicality on defense, contested shots and an offense that can never find its flow against defenses like these. They haven’t just been beaten in these games, they’ve been disrupted out of what they try to do.
The team tried to shed light on the run, the focus wasn’t just on the missed opportunities but on everything it took to get there.
“There’s not a lot to process right now,” Lucero said. “It’s not the outcome anybody wanted. But to get here… these guys overcame a lot. Things people don’t even know.”
The Chaps and all of the teams from Austin and San Antonio continue to face this and have to wonder when it will end. Yes they keep running into North Dallas teams, yes the defense is suffocating, and this time it was impossible to overcome. 22%.
