Every high school basketball team dreams of winning a state championship, but because state titles are so difficult to capture, a program's strength in comparison to other schools in its area can't be measured soley by titles.

There are a few area schools that seem to have grasped those ingredients and turned their teams into winners on both sides — boys and girls — in the last several years.

One of them is Westfield, which currently boasts the country's top-ranked boys team and a girls squad that has chased greatness during the last five years.

"It's awesome," said girls senior guard Sesalie Johnson, who was part of the 2003 state championship team. "There aren't too many schools like Westfield that have two great programs."

The girls have set high standards in achieving success in the postseason. They reached the state round of the playoffs in three of four seasons from 2001-2004 and had a 35-4 record on the way to a state championship in 2003.

The Westfield boys, previously under the radar, have rocketed to the top ranking in the area and state and, according to USA Today, are fourth in the nation.

They are undefeated this season (32-0) and 66-7 during the past two seasons, making them favorites to add a championship to the school's trophy case.

"I think our guys are generally motivated within themselves, but we have a great deal of pride in our school," boys coach Larry Brown said. "We're proud of what the girls have done, and we're proud of what we've done and it's truly a family over here."

"When our girls team made it to state, it became a motivational factor for us to get back," said UH guard Lanny Smith, a member of both Hightower tournament teams. "That was our goal all along, but with the girls going it, gave us another reason to want to go.

Class 4A has seen a few dual-threat basketball programs as well. The Angleton boys and girls have reached the playoffs in five consecutive seasons. The boys are ranked 15th in the state and have compiled a 109-25 record during the past four seasons. All the girls have done is make three trips to the state tournament in four seasons, peaking last season with a trip to the title game.

Consistently strong 4A squads include Jones and Brenham. The Jones girls haven't lost a district game in the last three seasons and were knocked out of the playoffs by eventual state finalist Angleton. The boys have made it to the area round each of the last five years and won a title in 2004.

"We're out here at 5:30 in the morning," Simmons said. "While everyone else is turning over in their beds at 5:30, we're over here lacing up our Nikes."

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