BACK WHERE THEY BELONG: New Head Coach Kami Williamson leads Cedar Park back to State Tournament
All is right with the Universe. The Cedar Park Lady Timberwolves are back in the UIL 5A Girls Basketball State Tournament.
Cedar Park, under new Head Coach Kami Williamson, vaulted into the 5A Final Four with a scintillating 45-44 overtime win over district – and fellow Leander ISD – rival Glenn last Saturday (2/24) at San Antonio’s NISD Northside Gym.
The return trip down IH-35 to San Antonio was far from a given heading into the new season. Yes, Cedar Park was only one season removed from back-to-back state championships and a record-setting winning streak under former Head Coach Donny Ott; yes, the Lady T’wolves have long been a perennial playoff powerhouse under both Ott and his predecessor, Mark Myers.
But Ott departed the suburban Austin-area school for Summer Creek after last season, elevating Williamson to the top spot after six years as his assistant. And Cedar Park was coming off a 17-17 season that saw them get knocked out in the Bi-district round by 34 points. Could the Lady Timberwolves bounce back?
Known to her players and the Cedar Park community as “Coach K,” Williamson inherited a veteran squad filled with players back from last season’s .500 squad, reinforced by newcomers up from last year’s JV squad. A 22-11 regular season mark and 3rd-place finish behind Liberty Hill and Glenn in the uber competitive District 25-5A was decent, but Cedar Park didn’t appear to be the juggernaut of recent years past.
“Our district is very tough,” Williamson understated. “At some point this season, we had all four of the (district’s) playoff teams in the Top 25 rankings, and of course Glenn and Liberty Hill were staples in the Top 10. It is a very competitive District. I think it helps prepare for the playoff run because you are playing quality programs each and every night.”
Though modest on its face, the regular season provided tantalizing hints of the Lady Timberwolves’ post-season success against their district foes and others. They lost twice to Liberty Hill but in very competitive games and had split their season with Glenn. Cedar Park was definitely in the mix.
“We knew there was a good chance that we would run into our own District teams deep in the playoffs,” Williamson stated.
Sure enough, when the road to San Antonio led to Liberty Hill in the Regional Quarterfinals, Cedar Park knocked off Liberty Hill 42-37. The Lady Panthers won 35 games and had previously lost only twice all season, both times to Glenn. Cedar Park dispatched Corpus Christi Veterans Memorial in the Regional Semis to set up the rubber match with 35-win Glenn for the right to advance to State.
“Any of those programs could be sitting here in our position,” Williamson said of her defeated District foes. “We are just blessed the basketball rolled the way it did and that we have the chance to represent our District and Region at State.”
They got there on a day drenched with drama. After a 3-hour delay and a venue change due to a power outage, Cedar Park clawed back from nine points down to send the game into overtime on junior Hope Edwards’ 3-pointer at the buzzer. They then held on as the Lady Grizzlies’ potential game-winner glanced off the rim, propelling Cedar Park back to State for the third time in four seasons.
"I am so proud of our kids for the resiliency that they showed against Glenn in the Regional finals,” Willamson declared. “Things didn't quite go our way early, but we fought through that adversity and stayed true to our game plan and each other and worked our way into a position to have a chance. In the final moments of the 4th (quarter), we got the ball into Hope (Edwards) and she made a fantastic move and got a good look for a 3 and sunk it. We had some key defensive stops and blocks in overtime and made the game-winning free throw to punch our ticket to the State Tournament."
The Lady Timberwolves have just gotten better as the season wore on. And while this year’s team might not have a flashy 30+ win record like past Cedar Park teams, Coach Kami Williamson’s squad earned legit wins against quality teams when it mattered most on their return trip to Sate.
“Our girls had a vision of what they wanted to do and where they wanted to be this season, and obviously making it to the State tournament was at the top of that list,” Williamson said before Thursday’s (2/29) semifinal matchup with another group of Lady Timberwolves from Mansfield Summit.
“I am so proud that this group has the opportunity to get back to San Antonio and compete for a State Championship.”