HUNTSVILLE — They’ve been here before and know Austin all too well.

Two years ago, the New Waverly Bulldogs made their first trip to the state tournament, but it ended rather quickly in a disappointing blowout loss to Tuscola Jim Ned.

Then last March, the Bulldogs got past Shallowater and advanced to the state championship game only to fall to defending state champion Ponder 51-39.

This time around, the Bulldogs are determined to take another step forward and come back with a state championship. They’re back again in 2010, and they say they’re going to finish the job this time.

“I guess you can kind of look at it as a progression,” New Waverly Bill Goffney said following practice on Monday. “Just to be here for a third time in a row is an accomplishment in itself.

“We’ve definitely got to get it done. That’s what the kids wanted; that’s what they have set their minds on ever since the end of last year. We did everything we had to do last year to win it.

“We’ve been there enough to know what it’s like. We left there with a bitter taste in our mouths, but we’ve got to find what that missing piece is to get us over the top. We’re a year older. We’re a year more mature. We feel like we have everything it takes to get it done this time.”

After nearly a week of preparing following their third straight regional championship, the Bulldogs (32-3) make their return to the Erwin Center on Friday when they tip off against Idalou (29-6) in the first of the Class 2A semifinal games on Friday at 8:30 a.m.

The other semifinal game will have second-ranked Ponder facing sixth-ranked Hallettsville at 10 a.m.

“(Idalou) is a very athletic group from what I understand,” Goffney said. “They only have one senior on the team, so they’re very young. They kind of remind me of us. They want to press and run and get after it. I definitely hope that’s the case.

“They finished second in their district, but it’s all about peaking at the right time. They beat a very good Jim Ned team in the (Region I) championship, so they’re playing some pretty good ball right now. We definitely can’t look past them. We’re not talking about Ponder or Hallettsville, we’re talking about Idalou and getting past that obstacle first. You’ve got to respect anybody who’s in Austin. You don’t get to Austin on accident.”

Though the Wildcats, District 3-2A runners-up, and the Bulldogs have similar philosophies about pressuring teams, as far as experience goes, it’ll be a case of two extremes.

This will be New Waverly’s third trip to Austin in as many years, but it will be the first such trip for Idalou.

Bulldogs senior guard Tyren Watts knows all too well what the Wildcats will be going through minutes before the semifinal game. The senior admitted the Dogs got caught in the headlights during their first trip to the Erwin Center and had to play in the 8:30 game.

“That first time, we were real timid,” Watts said. “It’s a different atmosphere from playing in gyms. The goals are different and it was throwing off our shots. It’s real nerve-wracking the first time you walk out there. There’s 20,000 people watching you. You just try your best not to mess up.”

One advantage the Bulldogs have this season as opposed to their two previous squads is depth on the bench and those players have already made a significant impact in the playoffs.

During the postseason, freshman Joshua Durriseau and sophomore Isaiah Gilliam have come off the bench and sparked New Waverly, giving the Dogs an extra edge.

“I think they’ll be ready,” Goffney said. “That’s what the big games do. Playing good competition will get you ready for the big game. Isaiah and Josh made big shots for us at the regional tournament, as well as Johnathan (Reece) and Wes (Wagner). They’ve been in big games. They just have to get past the initial shock of seeing all the people there. After that, it’s just another game.”

With Anahuac chipping away at the lead in last Saturday’s Region III championship game, Gilliam stepped in sunk three 3-pointers to keep the Panthers at bay.

“All of us bench guys know what we have to do whenever coach (Goffney) calls our number,” Gilliam said. “They depend on us to make something happen.

“We know what’s ahead of us. We just can’t relax or we’ll be right back home just like the last two years without anything to show for it.”

The Bulldogs gotten as much practice as they could fit in during the week and Goffney hopes that will be enough to take the next step and remain standing when all is said and done.

“Hopefully, we’ve gotten used to being up there,” Goffney said. “Everybody that’s on the team now, if they weren’t on the floor, they were in the building (last year). They know fully well what we’ve got to bring back.”