March 5, 2024, Lancaster, TX/Lancaster ISD – After a brief four years, the Lancaster High School boys basketball team is returning to the UIL 5A State Tournament. In 2020, the team made it to San Antonio only for COVID-19 to force UIL to cancel the tournament. The team was awarded a state championship title for that year based on rankings but never had the opportunity to play against the opposing teams. Since that time, the overall team goal has been to make it to the tournament and win.
"Making it to state in 2020 was surreal. We had achieved our goal of making it to the tournament, but the pandemic took away the opportunity to actually play," Head Coach Ferrin Douglas recounted. "This season is a whole new ball game, and our plan is to head to San Antonio, put in the hard work, and come back with two wins. The consistent goal has been to not only reach the state tournament but to win it — and that drive fuels our team's efforts every day."
The spirit of the Lancaster Tigers and their fans is at an all-time high as the team prepares to face the Amarillo High School Sandies. The entire district is excited for the semi-finals game at the Alamodome. As a tribute to the team, campuses are allowing students to wear spirit attire for the rest of the week in celebration of the team’s state tournament berth.
Lancaster ISD Athletic Director Kendrick Brown says the parents, students, and staff are eager to support the team and send well-wishes to San Antonio.
“We are all extremely excited for our boys and our coaches. Most importantly, our community is excited and that will mean a lot to the team as they prepare to bring another championship to our city,” Brown said. “We know they are ready, and we are preparing to send them to San Antonio with well wishes and Tiger pride.”
Lancaster High School will host a team send-off Wednesday morning at 8:45 am at the front entrance of the high school located at 200 E. Wintergreen rd. Lancaster, TX 75146. Community members wishing to be part of the sendoff should arrive at the high school at 8:40 am and park in the front parking lot of the high school.
Additionally, plans to welcome the team back to Lancaster after the tournament will be shared via email and social media to ensure the community can show their support to the team. The district is planning to make a fan bus available for students, staff, and parents to travel to San Antonio on Saturday. Details for the fan bus will be released via email after the Tigers secure their ticket to the state final game.
“We want our entire community to get excited about this state run and support the team all the way through,” Brown shared. “We welcome the community’s support, and we look forward to our team representing Lancaster in the state tournament.”
Catch all the action on Thursday, March 7, 2024, at 8:30 pm at the Alamodome during the semifinals game. Tickets to the game can be purchased at the following link: https://bit.ly/LHSBball. The finals are scheduled for Saturday at 3pm.