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"A Foundation of Excellence and Greatness": Cypress Creek seniors leave behind strong legacy
SAN ANTONIO – Jennifer Alexander dropped to a knee in front of her team's bend and wrapped her arms around Rori Harmon and Kyndall Hunter.
Overwhelmed by emotion, the three just embraced for a while.
That duo, along with Taylor Jackson, have been pulling on a Cypress Creek uniform for four years since their freshman campaign.
Inside the Alamodome on Thursday night, their four-year journey came to an end in the Class 6A State Championship game, falling short to DeSoto, 53-37, ending their season at 32-1.
"Going 32-1 is challenging for a team like us," Harmon, a McDonald's All-American, said while holding back tears. "Everybody is after us and to know we worked so hard to get to this point and to get second place it does hurt a lot. Just knowing that we got here is a great honor."'
This group of seniors – Harmon, Hunter, Jackson, Ri'yah Francis and Haleen Harris – won't be soon forgotten on the corner of Grant and Perry Road in Houston, Texas.
"This group has laid a foundation of excellence and greatness," Alexander said. "Not just what we do day-in and day-out when they are with us but what they do on their own and the time that they put into their craft. I think they're role models for little girls at Bleyl, Campbell and Hamilton coming to Cy Creek. I'm just so proud of them."'
.@CyCreekGBB receiving their medals after the game. #txhshoopspic.twitter.com/ARRLMpULJS
— vypehouston (@vypehouston) March 12, 2021
That foundation is a strong one.
Add up the numbers and it is undoubtably one of the greatest four-year runs by the numbers in Houston girls basketball history.
Over the past four years, Cypress Creek has gone 141-13, reaching the UIL State Tournament three times (2018, 2020, 2021) and the state championship in each of the last two seasons. In the past two seasons, the Cougars went 73-2 with those losses each coming in the Class 6A State Championship game.
"It's just an honor to know that we're creating a path for our teammates behind us and we couldn't have done it without them," Hunter, who scored 17 points in the state title game, said. "I know they're going to do great things when we're gone."'
VYPE Photo 📸: “When you've given it your all ..." @kynskillz poured in 17 points in her final HS game. #txhshoops#UILStatepic.twitter.com/zHeouFO8v8
— vypehouston (@vypehouston) March 12, 2021
Of course, since their freshman year, Hunter and Harmon have been connected at the hip.
The duo led the team in scoring each of the last four years and were both selected as McDonald's All-Americans this season. They aren't done being teammates as the next stop is Austin.
"We have to continue to train and stick together everyday since we're going to play college together for the next four years," Harmon, who score eight points and grabbed 11 boards in the title game, said. "I'm really excited that it's Kyndall. We just have to stick together mentally."
So, what is Texas getting?
"These two are outstanding on and off the court," Alexander said. "Great teammates. You're not going to find two better young ladies than these two right here. I mean that from the bottom of my heart. Their leadership and their character on and off the court is something special. I'm excited to see them grow and see them at the next level.
"They're probably going to get tired of me being a fan all the time coming to Texas but I'll be there with them every step of the way and rooting them along."
An extremely emotional moment on the bench following the loss. @CyCreekGBB HC Jennifer Alexander embracing @kynskillz and @roriiiharmonnn ... They have both started for Alexander for 4 years and been to 3 state tourneys. #txhshoops@cycreekhs@CyFairISD@TXHSGBBpic.twitter.com/TOC9NBjJbg
— vypehouston (@vypehouston) March 12, 2021
Cy Creek Girls’ Basketball Advances to Class 6A Championship Game
March 8, 2021—They were 90 miles away from the Alamodome, but the result was still the same for the Cypress Creek High School girls' basketball team and supporters. A year after finishing as the Class 6A state runner-up, the Cougars will return to the famed dome in San Antonio to complete a goal they've set out since their first run to state in 2018—win a championship.
Cypress Creek earned its chance with a 55-34 win over Converse Judson in the Class 6A semifinals on March 6 at the Goliad ISD Event Center. Due to COVID-19, the state semifinals were held at neutral sites instead of the Alamodome. The Cougars, who improved to 32-0 on the season and are winners of 73 of their last 74 games, advance to a second consecutive 6A championship game. Cypress Creek will face DeSoto (27-2) at 7 p.m. on March 11 at the Alamodome.
"This is a special group," Cypress Creek Head Coach Jennifer Alexander said. "They're just winners." Cypress Creek reached the state tournament in 2018, falling in the semifinals. Over the last four seasons, the Cougars have played in four regional tournaments and won three regional championships to go with three state appearances. Against Converse Judson in the semifinals, Cypress Creek used a 20-0 run spanning the first and second quarters to turn a back-and-forth start into a decisive runaway going into halftime. Trailing 12-11 with 2:01 remaining in the first quarter, Cypress Creek leaned on its defense and rebounding to take the lead and keep Converse Judson off the scoreboard.
By the time the run ended, more than seven minutes had run off the game clock and the Cougars had a commanding 31-15 lead. Converse Judson never got closer than 15 points the rest of the way. Cypress Creek senior guards Kyndall Hunter and Rori Harmon finished with 15 and 14 points, respectively. Junior Jasmyn Jackson had 10 rebounds. "Every year we've learned something different but just taking it one game at a time has been our biggest thing," Hunter said after Cypress Creek won the Region III-6A championship to advance back to State. "We feel that we're our biggest competition so just making sure that we're doing the right thing, playing together and playing our hardest. Never missing an opportunity and never taking anything for granted."
All championship game seating will be reserved as capacity at the Alamodome will be limited. Tickets will be distributed in seat blocks known as pods to maintain distance between groups. The largest pod available for purchase is eight seats and spectators will not be able to purchase partial pods.
Tickets are $21.50 each for adults and students and available through ticketmaster.com ($17.50 base price plus $4 Alamodome fee). Prices vary based on the number of tickets purchased. There is a $3.48 service fee added to each ticket, while a $3.25 order processing fee will be added to each purchase, not every ticket. A single ticket purchase is $28.23, and as more tickets are purchased, the price per ticket reduces due to the $3.25 order processing fee being applied once regardless of the total number of tickets purchased.
All tickets will be digital and available through mobile devices. There will be no ticket offices open on the day of the game nor will tickets be sold onsite. There is no re-entry for the event and each ticket is only good for the specific game.
Parking will be $15 per vehicle and available in parking lots A, C and D. All guests will be subject to the Alamodome's clear bag policy.
All spectators will be subject to a temperature test prior to entering the Alamodome and are required to enter the facility at the assigned entrance on their ticket. Face coverings must be worn properly by all spectators except when eating or drinking in their seats, and all guests will be advised to practice social distancing.
Cypress Creek will look to become just the latest CFISD girls' basketball team to capture a state title in recent history. Cypress Woods High School won the 6A title in 2015, while Cy-Fair High School won 5A championships in 2008 and 2010.
During the same span, Cypress Falls (2012) and Cypress Ranch (2017) high schools also reached the state tournament.
"We've built a good sense of family and it starts with these kids in what we try to teach them as a coaching staff," Alexander said. "It's a big family out there, they're loud and they show up. They show up for the kids and that is what's special. The kids are going to remember they received for a long time."