Anthony Black leads Duncanville over Cypress Ranch and into 6A Texas regional finals
The Duncanville Panthers are headed to their fourth consecutive regional championship after a 72-59 victory over the Cypress Ranch Mustangs on Friday night.
Duncanville (32-1), often called the city of champions, is looking to secure their third title appearance in four years in light of another incredible season.
Panthers head coach David Peavy has been one of the state’s best in recent years, posting an incredible 121-14 record since 2018.
“That’s our culture,” Peavy said. “Every year all five of our starters have averaged double figures. Our guys are very unselfish, they share the ball, they play hard for each other, and they have to defend. We get after it on defense, we’re improving in some areas. This is what we do every year.”
From start to finish, Duncanville delivered one of the most thorough and dominant performances of their season.
The first half was closely contested as Duncanville held a narrow two point lead before going on a late 12-2 run, securing a 12-point advantage at the half.
“We practice every day for this,” coach Peavy said. “It’s not like we get here and try to figure things out. It’s from day one, this is the expectation. What we’re doing is special, it’s hard to do.”
By the end of the third quarter, Duncanville’s lead ballooned to 22 points and they never let Cypress Ranch back in the game.
McDonald's All-American Anthony Black led the Panthers with 19 points en route to the regional championship.
“Today was just a fun day,” Black said. “Everybody played hard. We were super locked in before the game, we were having fun in the locker room. So just to come out and win, it was a good team effort.”
Ahead of their next matchup, coach Peavy reflected on his team’s outing and held optimism for the remainder of the playoffs.
“Culture,” he said. “Our guys expect to be where they are right now, they expect to win and they’re doing the things right now to win. We’re doing some good stuff.”
The Panthers will take on the Garland Owls Saturday at 1 p.m. in the regional final, with a berth in the Texas 6A state tournament on the line.
