For many Dallas-area boys basketball teams, mid January and on signifies not just the dead of winter but the brunt of district play. District play ultimately decides which teams make the postseason, but some programs have tougher roads to the playoffs than others.
Here are some of the most challenging districts in the Dallas area so far this hoops season.
District 3-6A
As of Monday, three District 3-6A teams — North Crowley (19-3), Mansfield (18-4) and Mansfield Lake Ridge (14-7)— rank among the best in the state. North Crowley, the state’s second-ranked 6A program, has been a perennial contender and looks to win its first state championship since 2008. The program made a run to the regional semifinals last season and finished second in the District 3-6A race behind Mansfield Lake Ridge, which went 33-4 overall before its playoff run was cut short due to use of an ineligible player.
Lake Ridge ranks 19th among the state’s 6A teams and Mansfield ranks 18th. North Crowley, ranked first in the Dallas-area’s latest 6A poll, currently sits at 2–0 in District 3-6A play after beating Lake Ridge 70-43 on Friday.
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District 5-6A
Home to defending 6A Division II state champion Denton Guyer, District 5-6A is one to watch this season.
Of course, there’s Guyer (15-5), ranked 17th in the state. Then there’s Flower Mound Marcus (13-9), which advanced to the regional finals last season. But No. 3 Little Elm (20-2) looks the most like a contender.
Little Elm has won six straight games and has started district play 3–0, with wins over Hebron, Guyer and Coppell.
District 6-5A
This district has emerged as one of the best in the state over the last two seasons. Headlined by 2025 5A Division I state finalist Birdville, District 6-5A boasts two teams in the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches 5A state poll. Birdville (19-3) ranks second in the state among 5A teams and Denton (18-3), which made a historic run to the regional semifinals in 2025, ranks 13th.
Denton has started district play 3–0, with its last outing being a 44-38 win over Argyle. Birdville, which won the District 6-5A title last season, has started 2–0.
Argyle and Colleyville Heritage are also key pieces of the rising district.
District 6-6A
Over the last two seasons, District 6-6A has produced an undefeated state champion in Plano East (2024) and a nationally-ranked state semifinalist in Allen (2025).
Allen (13-4) currently ranks 13th in the state among 6A teams and is 5–1 in district play after a 61-49 win over Plano East (18-6) on Friday. District 6-6A might be the district with the most parity. After Friday’s games, Allen and McKinney (13-6) each have five wins in district play, while Plano East and Plano West (16-7) boast four. Plano and McKinney Boyd have three district wins each. This could be a district race that comes down to the end.
District 11-5A
Frisco Heritage (17-2), which boasts five-star Duke signee Bryson Howard and four-star SMU signee Cameron Lomax, is one of two Dallas-area UIL programs that boasts a No. 1 ranking in the TABC poll. Heritage belongs to District 11-5A, which also includes No. 5 Frisco Memorial, Frisco Liberty and Frisco.
Memorial, Liberty and Frisco each boast 2–1 records in district play, while Heritage claims a 3–0 district record.
District 11-6A
District 11-6A has been popularly dubbed the “District of Doom” during football season, but the title may apply during basketball season, too.
Two of its teams, Duncanville (11-6) and Lancaster (12-8), have won state titles in the last two seasons. Duncanville and Lancaster both finished with 13–1 records in District 11-6A in 2025, losing to each other once in district play. But Duncanville went on to win the 6A Division I state championship.
Lancaster, which won the 5A state title in 2024 before moving up to 6A last season and ranks sixth in the state, sits at 3–0 in district play with wins over Skyline, Duncanville and Mesquite. Duncanville, the state’s seventh-ranked 6A team, sits at 2-1, along with Skyline, Waxahachie and Cedar Hill.
Mesquite Horn, a 6A Division II regional finalist in 2025, is also another team to watch. Duncanville just edged Horn 68-64 on Friday.
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