Port Arthur Memorial will take on Midlothian at 7 p.m. Thursday in the semifinal round of the UIL 5A boys basketball state playoffs at the Alamodome in San Antonio.

The UIL released state pairings Sunday afternoon. The winner will take on Justin Northwest or San Antonio Alamo Heights, who play following Memorial vs. Midlothian, at 3 p.m. Saturday for the state championship.

Memorial is one of three Southeast Texas teams (including the Houston area) to play in this week’s playoffs. Silsbee will face Somerset at 3 p.m. Friday in a 4A semifinal, and Katy Tompkins will meet South Garland at 7 p.m. Friday in a 6A contest.

Memorial (32-5), ranked fourth in 5A, has won 24 straight games and is coming off a 67-58 win over No. 10 Fort Bend Elkins in this past Saturday’s 5A Region III title game in Houston. The Titans have defeated two other top-20 teams during the playoffs, including Alvin Shadow Creek and Humble.

Midlothian (28-10), from suburban Dallas-Fort Worth, is No. 9 in the state and finished third in District 10-5A behind No. 1 state-ranked Waxahachie and Mansfield Timberview, last year’s state champion. The Panthers have won nine in a row.

 

TICKET INFO

Memorial will sell advance tickets for Thursday’s general session only at the home and visitor ticket booths of Memorial Stadium starting at 9 a.m. Tuesday. The cost is $16 each, and only 450 advance tickets are available on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Tickets are also available through Ticketmaster.com or by calling 800-745-3000. They also will be available at the Alamodome box office via walk-up only, but no personal checks will be accepted.

The regular cost of a general session ticket is $19 with the all-tournament ticket priced at $130 (additional fees may apply). Children 2 and younger not occupying a seat will be admitted for free.

The deadline to purchase an all-tournament parking pass at the box office is Wednesday. The pass includes one parking card for Thursday, one for Friday and another for Saturday. These passes have in and out privileges.

Parking is available in lots B and C for $15 per space (cash only; no re-entry allowed). A map of the parking lots can be found here.

The address for the Alamodome is 100 Montana Street, San Antonio. During peak traffic times, northbound Cherry Street will be closed at Cesar Chavez Street. To access lot B or C, travel south on Cherry Street from Commerce Street or Houston Street. Lot A is for disability access parking, drop-off for the mobility impaired and permit parking only.

Anyone staying downtown can ride to the Alamodome via One Hundred Primo, which travels to Sunset Station.

 

INSIDE THE ALAMODOME

The Alamodome does not allow: weapons, outside food or beverage, glass of any kind, flags with poles, backpacks, coolers, helium balloons, e-cigarettes, video cameras and/or recording devices, point-and-shoot cameras only (detachable lenses not permitted), pets (except for service animals) and noisemakers of any kind.

The only approved bags at the Alamodome include: those 5.5 inches tall-by-8.5 inches wide or smaller; clear bags 12 inches-by-6 inches-by-12 inches or smaller; 1-gallon plastic freezer bag; and medically necessary and diaper bags.

 

BROADCAST INFO

The NFHS (National Federation of State High School Associations) Network will broadcast all state semifinal games and the 1A-5A championship games at: www.nfhsnetwork.com/associations/uil. This service requires a subscription, but it can be accessed via the NFHS Network app for iPhone and Android.

Fox Sports Southwest will broadcast the 6A title game Saturday night.

The use of live streaming sites to stream any game is prohibited under UIL policy and violates the league’s agreement with its broadcast partners.

Live stats for each game will be made available here.

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I.C. Murrell: 721-2435. Twitter: @ICMurrellPANews