This matchup guarantees that a Dallas-area team will reach the inaugural Class 6A Division I finals.
Ranked No. 2, Allen faces off against No. 6 Duncanville for a chance to advance to San Antonio for the finals on Saturday.
Allen aims for its second state championship following their victory in the 2017-18 season. Duncanville boasts five UIL-recognized titles but had the 2021-22 title revoked due to the use of an ineligible player.
Allen comes into this game riding a 26-game winning streak, with their only loss being to San Antonio Brennan on November 22. Brennan and Bellaire also compete in the other semifinal matchup tonight.
The Eagles exhibit a well-rounded offensive strategy, featuring four players scoring more than 10 points per game:
- Antoine Shannon, 13.8
- Trent Pane, 12.0
- Deandre Thomas, 10.9
- Antonio Shannon, 10.2
Duncanville, having faced slightly more adversity this season, suffered five defeats against teams outside Texas, with Lancaster and Dallas Justin F. Kimball being their only losses to local teams.
The Panthers are entering this contest with a nine-game winning streak.
Kayden ‘Bug’ Edwards, a TCU signee, has been remarkably productive for Duncanville, averaging 25.9 points per game. Christopher Hunt Jr. is contributing 13.6, while Beckham Black brings in 9.3 points per game.
Interestingly, Black’s brother Anthony plays point guard for the Orlando Magic, and their father, Terry, was an All-Big 12 selection and is a member of the Baylor Sports Hall of Fame.
Allen vs. Duncanville, Texas UIL girls 6A-I state semifinal; scoring, updates
We are just 16 minutes away from tip-off, with the crowd steadily filling the arena. All 2,000 seats sold out in under an hour when they became available.
1st Quarter
Antoine Shannon starts strong with back-to-back three-pointers, putting Allen up 6-0 less than a minute into the match.
Deandre Thomas adds a bucket, stretching the lead to 12-4.
Duncanville responds with consecutive three-pointers, narrowing the gap to 15-12 with 2:26 left in the quarter.
Antoine Shannon sinks another three for Allen, making it 18-12 with just 2 minutes remaining.
Christopher Hunt Jr. hits back-to-back baskets for Duncanville, tightening the score to 18-16 for Allen.
TCU recruit Kayden Edwards elevates the score for Duncanville, closing in to 21-18 for Allen with 1:30 left.
A crucial three from Nmadi Ubawike gives Allen a boost; Khalil Walker follows up with another, advancing the score to 27-18.
Beckham Black heads to the line for Duncanville to shoot two with only 6.2 seconds left in the first quarter.
Due to a lane violation on the second shot, he will now shoot three, making the second attempt after missing the first.
End of 1st: Allen 29, Duncanville 19
2nd Quarter
Gary Jones connects on a three-pointer for the Panthers. Allen leads 31-22 with 7:30 to go. After another score from Allen, Edwards responds with a three from the top of the key, bringing it to 33-25 with 6:31 remaining in the second quarter.
Hunt Jr. drops a three for Duncanville, and suddenly it’s 33-30 with 4:45 left.
Hunt goes to the foul line aiming for a three-point play, converting to make it 35-33 in favor of Allen with 4:30 left.
Black makes a three-pointer, putting Duncanville ahead for the first time at 36-35 with 2:33 remaining.
Kaden Harris finishes with a putback after an offensive rebound, extending Duncanville’s lead to 38-35. Allen calls a timeout with 2:24 left in the second.
Nemehia Lawrence makes a steal and scores for Allen, also drawing a foul. However, he misses the free throw attempt, and Duncanville remains in the lead at 38-37 with 1:32 on the clock.
Deandre Thomas capitalizes with a turnaround shot, briefly regaining the lead for Allen at 39-38, but Duncanville’s Edwards quickly answers on the other end.
Lawrence pulls off a falling shot to give Allen the lead again with just 2 seconds left on the clock.
End of 2nd: Allen 41, Duncanville 40
3rd Quarter
Black nails a three-pointer for D’Ville. Panthers lead 45-43 with 6:23 remaining.
Edwards quickly follows suit with a three of his own, extending the Panthers’ lead to 48-43—their largest thus far.
An Eagles turnover prompts a timeout from their coach. Duncanville has possession with 5:46 left to play.
Black strikes again, scoring another basket for the Panthers, making it 50-43.
A turnover by Allen leads to Hunt being fouled while attempting a three-pointer with 5:16 on the clock.
Hunt sinks all three free throws, putting D’Ville up 53-43.
Antoine Shannon responds with a three-pointer, halting Allen’s scoring drought. It’s now Duncanville 53, Allen 46, with 4:31 to play.
Gary Jones secures the rebound from a missed three and scores, drawing a foul in the process. He converts the free throw. It’s 56-48 now, with 3:54 in the third quarter.
Hunt Jr. exits the game with an ankle injury.
Harris electrifies the crowd with an alley-oop dunk, pushing Duncanville to a 61-50 lead with 2:07 remaining.
Black drains a corner three with 1:19 left, extending the Panthers’ lead to 14 points with only 1:13 left in the third quarter.
End of 3rd: Duncanville 65, Allen 55
4th Quarter
Allen narrows the gap to 67-64, but Black manages to hit 1 of 2 free throws on the other end with 4:04 left.
A foul is called on Allen with 3:31 remaining. The Panthers lead 68-66.
Gary Jones picks up his third foul for Duncanville with 3:06 left.
Kaden Harris scores for Duncanville, extending the lead to 70-66, prompting the Panthers to call a timeout.
Thomas responds with a bucket in the paint for Allen, bringing the score to 70-68 with 2:30 left.
An apparent travel on Duncanville is dismissed as the refs state the D’Ville bench called for a timeout. The score remains at 70-68 with 1:48 to play.
In a well-planned inbound play, Edwards scores for Duncanville, pushing the lead to 72-68 with 1:45 left.
A turnover by Allen leads to a timeout being called with 1:32 remaining.
Antoine Shannon sinks a three-pointer with 1:21 remaining, bringing Allen within one point at 72-71.
Antonio Shannon adds a three-pointer as well, giving the Eagles a 74-72 lead with 55 seconds remaining.
Duncanville makes a costly turnover with 46.1 seconds left, creating a crescendo of noise in the arena.
With 41.8 seconds remaining, Duncanville heads to the free-throw line. Jirehn Mitchell gets one shot after a block call, despite the Allen coaching staff arguing it was a charging foul.
He nails the shot, putting Duncanville up 75-74.
Allen misses a three-pointer, and the Panthers regain possession with the lead.
With just 12.7 seconds remaining after the break.
A foul is called on Allen with 10 seconds left, marking their fifth foul.
Black makes his first free throw to extend the lead to 76-74. He converts the second as well.
A foul on Duncanville comes with 7.1 seconds left as they still have three fouls to give.
Allen calls a timeout with just 3.9 seconds left, likely to set up a crucial play into overtime or to seize victory.
A three-pointer attempt misses, and Duncanville narrowly escapes.
Final: Duncanville 77, Allen 74
This marks Allen’s first defeat since November 22. The No. 2-ranked team has fallen.
Postgame Recap
Jirehn Mitchell contributed some crucial moments for Duncanville, making key shots at decisive moments.
The junior guard scored a layup and drew a foul with under a minute left.
His successful free throw shifted the momentum and secured Duncanville’s 77-74 victory over Allen in front of a packed crowd at Coppell High School. Those were his only points, but they sure counted.
The No. 6-ranked Panthers received two more free throws from Beckham Black in the final seconds, ensuring their trip to San Antonio.
The Panthers (26-7) halted Allen’s remarkable 26-game winning streak, which had persisted since a loss to No. 1 San Antonio Brennan on November 22.
In the other semifinal, Bellaire defeated Brennan, setting the stage for a historic Class 6A Division I final.
The UIL made changes this season, introducing two divisions for each class.
Allen (34-2) had a chance to tie the game with a three-pointer coming out of a timeout with 3.9 seconds left, but the shot fell short.
Black secured the rebound, cementing the victory for Duncanville and paving their return to San Antonio. The Panthers last appearance there ended with a state title, which was unfortunately vacated by UIL.
The game showcased a fast start by Allen, who hit five threes in the first quarter, leading 29-19 after the first period. However, the Panthers fought back, narrowing the gap to 41-40 by halftime.
Duncanville maintained a lead of up to 14 points in the third quarter, heading into the final period with a 10-point cushion.
Allen made a late-game charge, and with consecutive three-pointers from Antoine Shannon and Antonio Shannon, took a 74-72 lead with just 55 seconds remaining.
The Eagles, however, were unable to score again after that.
Mitchell’s three-point play, which was disputed by Allen as a charge rather than a block, ultimately became the game-winner.
Following Mitchell’s bucket and free throw, Allen missed a critical three-pointer, allowing Duncanville to manage the clock as Allen had to resort to fouling Black, who completed both free-throw attempts, widening the lead to three points.
Black and Hunt each contributed 19 points, while Edwards added 15 and Cam Smith chipped in 13 for the Panthers.
Antoine Shannon led the scoring for Allen with 28 points, joined by Thomas who added 12.
