STATE CHAMPS: Guyer Boys Still Reveling in Dramatic State Title Win

They’re still celebrating. 

A little more than a month after his team claimed its first Class 6A Division II state title with a down-to-the-wire 48-47 win over Katy Jordan, Guyer boys basketball coach Grant Long admitted that he and his players have yet to come down from the emotional high of finally hoisting the one trophy that’s eluded the program since the school opened 20 years ago. 

“Finally — we got the monkey off our backs and got it done,” Coach Long said with a laugh. “You walk by a player in the hallway, and you can’t help but smile at each other and say, ‘state champs.’ I’ve got one of [the players] by me right now — he’s smiling from ear to ear.”

In winning their first state title, the Wildcats became the first Denton ISD boys basketball team to win a championship since Denton Ryan won the Class 4A state title in 2000. According to the Denton Record-Chronicle, Denton High School’s boys basketball team had previously won a pair of titles in the now-defunct all-schools bracket in 1930 and 1935. Interestingly enough, Guyer’s win came a week after Denton Ryan’s girls basketball team claimed its first state title — making Denton ISD one of four school districts in the state to have a girls and boys basketball champion this season. 

Guyer’s deepest playoff run before this season included back-to-back regional finals appearances in 2018 and 2019. Coach Long said the school district celebrated the victory by acknowledging Guyer during the March school board meeting. On April 3, the district held a championship parade through all the elementary and junior high schools in the Guyer zone.

“It’s moments like these that you appreciate how hard it really is to win one,” Coach Long said.

While that last statement is true, Guyer certainly did its best to make this season look easy. The Wildcats finished their championship season with an overall record of 34-7, punctuated by an 11-0 run to close the year. Defensively, only three teams scored 60 or more points against the Wildcats all season. And that defensive performance was even more impressive late in the season. 

Heading into the title game, they had beaten their previous five playoff opponents by an average margin of 16 points. 

That included a 64-43 win over Frenship in the fourth round and a dominant 68-44 win over College Park in the state semifinals. 

All that was left was to knock off Katy Jordan, which Coach Long admitted was no easy feat. 

Guyer led by six at halftime only to trail by one entering the fourth quarter. The game went back and forth until Silas Rodriguez drained a go-ahead 3-pointer with 29.3 seconds left to play. Silas finished with a game-high 20 points, including four 3-pointers, and was named the game’s Most Valuable Player. Mason White and Jordan Lowery added 10 and eight points, respectively. 

“We had a ton of talented offensive players who bought into defending at a high level and defending for each other,” Coach Long said. “Our first 25 games included 17 Top 25 opponents, so we were definitely prepared. Once we got into playoffs, we played at such a high level that we felt extremely confident going into the title game. We knew Jordan would be a tough team, and we were prepared.

“You’ve got to be good, lucky, and healthy, and all of that came together for us this year.”

As for the future, this may not be Guyer’s last run at a championship. While the Wildcats lose eight seniors, they return seven and have several incoming freshmen that Coach Long is extremely excited about. 

“That combination of experience and incoming talent will keep us going well into the future,” Coach Long said.