Bo Ogden of Westlake drives to the basket against Lake Travis on Feb. 3, 2026 at Westlake High School in Austin, Texas.
Provided by Joe Nogalski
Would you expect anything less from Westlake and Lake Travis?
Nearly a month after the teams needed double overtime and a dramatic ending in their first meeting, the Central Texas rivals again played beyond regulation Tuesday night at Westlake. This time, though, they only needed one extra session as the Chaps exacted a bit of revenge from the earlier matchup with a 56-53 win, forcing a tie between the two schools atop the District 26-6A standings.
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Westlake’s Blake Cannatti shoots a 3-pointer against Lake Travis on Feb. 3, 2026 at Westlake High School in Austin, Texas.
Provided by Joe Nogalski
Left to right, Bo Ogden of Westlake, Tate Tapken of Lake Travis and Mack Martin of Westlake line up for a free throw Feb. 3, 2026 at Westlake High School in Austin, Texas.
Provided by Kelly Tapken
“There was a lot of motivation coming into this game,” said Westlake guard Blake Cannatti, who was one of three Chaps in double figures with 12 points. “That was a devastating loss (in the first meeting), and it was really important to get this one. We just did everything we could on the defensive end to not let that happen again.”
Cannatti wasn’t lying.
Though both teams played effective and physical defense, Westlake (24-6, 8-1) stepped up on that side of the ball when it needed to most. It forced an attempt from well beyond the arc by the Cavs at the end of regulation, then held Lake Travis (22-8, 8-1) to three points in overtime. And while the Chaps didn’t light up the scoreboard themselves in the extra session, Bo Ogden’s 3-pointer gave them the lead for good and they hit enough free throws to pull out the victory.
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“We took a step defensively tonight, for sure,” said Ogden, who signed with Texas last fall and is in his first year playing at Westlake after transferring from St. Michael’s. “We guarded really well, especially at the end when they were trying to get shots off. We changed up what we were doing and executed.”
Playing in front of a near-capacity crowd with a rowdy, playoff-type atmosphere, Ogden led all scorers with 18 points. And he earned all of them. Like they did in the first matchup, the Cavs threw multiple defenders at him whenever he touched the ball. But Westlake handled the situation better this time, with Ogden, who also had three key blocks on defense, finding teammates for wide-open shots on several occasions.
“We got some really clean looks in the paint or in the corners when they did double Bo,” Westlake coach Robert Lucero said. “And we rebounded the ball really well. I think we ended with (more than 10) offensive rebounds.”
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Tight throughout, neither team led by more than four points until Westlake used a 10-2 run midway through the second half to take a 45-37 lead. Lake Travis answered with a 13-5 run, sparked by Kade Shaver and Will Slyker combining for 11 points, to eventually force overtime, with neither team scoring in the final 75 seconds of regulation.
Ogden hit his shot from behind the arc almost immediately after tipoff in the extra session, and the Chaps’ defense did the rest.
“Our guys did a good job of staying in the moment when things didn’t go our way,” Lucero said. “ … And all the things that go into winning close games, our guys did a good job of.”
Mack Martin finished with 11 points for Westlake. Slyker’s 12 points led the Cavs. It’s the third straight season the rivals have split their district games.
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Westlake also keeps alive its chance for an 11th straight year of at least a shared district title, all of which have come under Lucero.
“It’s tradition,” said Chaps post Brayden Horne, who is one of six seniors on the team. “It’s what we grew up on, and it’s important to leave (the program) better than you found it.”
For Ogden, he’s looking forward to more atmospheres like the one he experienced Tuesday when he suits up in the UIL playoffs for the first time later this month. (Both teams clinched postseason berths Tuesday due to other district results.)
“It’s a little different playing in UIL than playing in TAPPS,” he said. “Even this game, the hype around it and the amount of people here, you wouldn’t get that in TAPPS a lot of times. So I’m really excited. I think we have a good squad and I’m really looking forward to it.”
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Scoring
Westlake: Bo Ogden 18, Blake Cannatti 12, Mack Martin 11, Powell Freckenschmidt 6, Alex Allen 4, Joel Cannatti 3, Hayes Goldman 2
Lake Travis: Will Slyker 12, Tate Tapken 11, Kade Shaver 11, Aaron Mathis 9, Alex Jacob 8, Brendan Ponce 2
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