SAN ANTONIO — Editor's note: The video published above was a WFAA profile of the Plano East boys basketball team from February.
The Plano East boys basketball team is one win away from etching their name in the Texas high school record books.
The Panthers defeated Mansfield Lake Ridge, 61-45, in Friday's UIL state semifinal at the Alamodome in San Antonio. With the win, Plano East improved to 39-0 on the season and are one win away from becoming the first Texas boys basketball team to finish the season undefeated and win a state championship in the highest division since the 2006-07 Duncanville Panthers (39-0).
Beaumont United won the 5A state title in 2020-21 season, the second-highest division in Texas with a 30-0 record. Before Beaumont United, Houston Yates went 34-0 and won the 4A state title in 2009-10.
Should Plano East run the table and win state, they'd finish the season 40-0. The last Texas high school boys basketball team to win 40 games in a season was 2A Martin's Mill who racked up a 40-0 record in 2019-20, but then lost in the state championship game to Gruver (32-5) to finish the season 40-1.
The last time a Texas high school boys team won the state title in any division, while going undefeated and winning 40 games was the 2003-04 Houston Milby team.
Plano East will face the winner of Round Rock Stony Point (37-1) and Beaumont United (34-3) in the 6A state championship on Saturday, March 9 at 8:30 p.m.
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