Keller boys basketball surges past Lewisville plus more from regional semifinals

Keller, powered by junior guard Steven Ramirez’s 26 points, kept rolling in the UIL high school basketball Class 6A regional semifinals.

Keller defeated Lewisville 63-52 at Wilkerson Greines on Friday, keeping control of a steady lead for the majority of the contest. Keller (29-5) eliminated North Crowley, the No. 3 ranked Class 6A team in Texas, in a regional quarterfinal on Tuesday, and is now one win away from a state semifinal at the Alamodome in San Antonio.

The Indians will face either Haslet Eaton or Plano East at 1 p.m. on Saturday, depending on the outcome of the two squads state semifinal game. Once again, the game will be held at Wilkerson Greines.

Although Lewisville had moments of excellence, the Farmers couldn’t do enough to consistently stop Ramirez and the Keller offense. Keller head coach Zach Weir said it’s “really cool” for the high school basketball community to see what Ramirez is capable of on a grand stage.

“I see it everyday,” Weir said. “That guy puts in so much work into his game. Early mornings, late evenings. All that stuff. Film work. ... He’s taken full advantage of this stage. That’s what you play, right? Environments like this. It’s big time for the kids and they deserve all the credit.”

Lewisville (31-5) forward AJ McPeters had a quick start with nine early points, but Keller had an even better first quarter behind Ramirez’s 10 points. The Indians took a 16-11 lead into the first quarter break.

“He’s killing us!” a Lewisville fan shouted from the crowd, regarding Ramirez’s play. “We’ve got to pick him up!”

The Farmers struggled to contain Ramirez the rest of the way, but they were able to take a temporary lead in the second quarter. Lewisville’s Landon Brown and Micah Christmas both hit a pair of three pointers to boost their team to a 31-28 halftime lead.

Weir had the same simple yet effective message for his team at the break.

“Go have fun,” Weir said in reflection. “Get after it. Do what you’ve been doing this whole year. Believe in one another. .... Big players make big plays, right?”

After the break, Keller started to build on its lead with field goals from Ramirez, Quinn Estep and Luke Fabian. The biggest sequence of the half for the Indians was a Ramirez three pointer followed by an inbound steal and quick layup by Alex Peterson.

“We’re going to play 32 minutes,” Weir said. “Concentrate on each possession.”

Keller took a nine point lead into the fourth quarter, and a three pointer by Rhett Schank helped keep the Farmers at bay. Schank, a senior, finished with nine points and a few chargers, leading the squad as one of the primary ball handlers.

“He is tough,” Weir said. “He is gritty. We talk about those guys all the time. That’s our senior crew. That’ll be my first graduating class at Keller.”

Weir said the group of seniors had to deal with the repercussions of COVID-19 as freshmen, and fought through adversity during their high school careers. He said the group is selfless and only cares about Keller picking up the win.

“We didn’t even have enough kids to play five on five,” Weir said. “They never complained. They never wavered.”

Moving forward, Lewisville’s offense couldn’t muster the momentum to erase Keller’s lead. The Farmers were led by McPeters, who finished with a team high 17 points.

Ramirez was the focal point of Keller’s offense, but the Indians also received significant contributions from Fabian and Estep, who finished with 11 and 10 points, respectively.

Regardless of who Keller faces in the regional final tomorrow, the Indians will continue to focus on having fun. Weir said the team will relish competing, especially considering how rare it is to make it this deep in the playoffs.

“We’re going to enjoy this one first,” Weir said. “But we scheduled pretty tough in the preseason, hoping that we would be in this position. I always tell them before we take the court. It’s fun. It’s basketball. Go have fun, enjoy the moment. One step at a time, and just concentrate on where your feet are. The rest will take care of itself.”

No. 1 Plano East ends Haslet Eaton’s Cinderella run

The unranked Haslet Eaton Eagles went on a terrific playoff run, securing playoff victories against Fort Worth Paschal and Midland Legacy as well as a hardfought 57-54 victory against Wolfforth Frenship en route to a Class 6A regional semifinal.

Eaton couldn’t pull off another playoff victory, however, falling to No. 1 ranked Plano East 57-30 on Friday at Wilkerson Greines.

Eaton head coach Tim Thomas, when talking about his team, said there “isn’t a better group of kids in America.” Thomas has been with the program for a year and eight months, and he said the team has been committed the entire time.

“They worked their tails off,” Thomas said. “They love each other. They don’t give any attitude. They work hard. They play hard. They persevere.”

The 2024 Eaton Eagles set many schools records: most wins in a season, highest district finish and most playoff records. Thomas said the team “set the bar.”

“You’ve got to be luck sometimes,” Thomas said. “But someone said luck is when preparation meets opportunity.”

The Eaton Eagles played the Panthers close throughout the first half, trailing by only eight points at the break.

The third quarter commenced, and Plano East quickly doubled its lead. The Panthers led 36-20 four minutes into the quarter and took a 45-22 lead into the fourth quarter.

Plano East had a serious size advantage on Eaton, and the Panther defense never lost its energy and scrappiness as the game continued.

Thomas said Plano East plays together and has complete trust in each other. Thomas added there is a reason they are undefeated, and said they earned the strong reputation.

Although the team’s run ended, Thomas said he is confident all members of his team will be successful human beings that will make a difference in society. He added that those are the most important wins, at the end of the day.