Highland Park’s boys basketball team knew the task they faced in the first round of the Class 5A Division I playoffs.
On Tuesday at Marcus High School, they found out first-hand just how hard it would be.
Taking on the state’s No. 1-ranked team, HP (21-11, 11-3 in District 12-5A) saw its season come to a close in a 80-62 defeat against a Frisco Heritage (28-2, 14-0 in 11-5A) team that has now ripped off 23 consecutive wins.
HP spotted Heritage seven quick points and trailed, 20-10, after the first quarter and 39-23 at halftime before playing the Coyotes to within a point in the second half.
Heritage was powered by its duo of Duke signee Bryson Howard and SMU signee Cameron Lomax. The former notched 17 points, including multiple slam dunks, and seven rebounds, while the latter racked up a game-high 23 points to go with seven rebounds, eight assists, and three steals.
“They have two players that are not only two of the best players in the state, but in the country,” said David Piehler, HP head coach. “You saw our plan and obviously it was to try and limit them. But you can’t limit those guys. Eventually they’re going to make some shots and make some things happen. Our defense worked for a bit, but [Lomax] and [Howard] are just so good. They just took over.”
Neighborhood Spotlight
Park Cities
Where the Park Cities Stay Connected.
HP showed no quit, however.
After facing its largest deficit of the night early in the third quarter at 47-25, the Scots pulled to within 13 at 54-41 and later to within 15 on four separate occasions. But HP could never trim the deficit to single digits and make a serious charge.
“We only lost by two in the second half, so that’s a positive, but we dug a hole early and you can’t come back on a team like that when they get a lead,” Piehler said. “We were trying to avoid that, but their pressure got to us. Every coach I’ve talked to has said they’re the best team at getting deflections and steals and getting on runs and tonight you saw it. We can’t simulate that in practice.”
Freshman Chris Martinez scored a team-high 22 points for HP, while senior captain Canon Wyatt scored 15 of his 21 points in the second half. Spencer Omundson chipped in five points for the Scots, while senior captain Will Saunders had four points and six rebounds.
“Will and Canon have been three-year starters and they’ve given a lot,” Piehler said. “That’s what hurts. I get another year. I get another group. But they’re done, at least here in high school, and I hate that for them. But you don’t cry because it’s over, you smile because it happened.”
Fortunately for HP, while the seniors are moving on, Martinez and a host of other Scots will be back in 2026-27 for what will hopefully be a smoother season.
“I’m proud of them and what we accomplished given that we lost a couple of players over the summer and we lost a key player to an ACL the first game of the year,” Piehler said. “We’ve overcome a lot of obstacles and to finish 11-3 in district and in the district we were in, we have a lot to be proud of this year. I don’t like how it ended, but [Heritage] is going to end a lot of people’s seasons. They’re really good.”
