Even Without Harmon, Cy Creek Finds Its Way To Saturday's State Title Game
Entering this weekend's UIL State girls basketball final four, Cypress Creek had the best odds to win a state championship. The Cougars not only stormed into San Antonio's Alamodome with a perfect 40-0 season record, but their leading threesome of Kyndall Hunter, Rori Harmon and coach Jennifer Alexander was motivated to finish what it started after suffering a loss in the 2017-2018 UIL 6A state semifinal.
The group took care of business against McKinney as expected, but its close victory surprised fans across the state. One key factor in the tight battle was the lack of Harmon due to a broken "team violation". It resulted in an early nine-point deficit, but Hunter's game-high 31 points led Cypress Creek to a 54-51 win and earned her the VYPE Player of the Game honor.
"I knew that everyone's going to have to step up, even me," said Hunter. "I'm just so proud that my team, we all played our roles perfectly."
Ally Haman also contributed an important 11 points, which came in handy when Erin Fry's 16 points and Nic Porter's 12 nearly tied the game late for McKinney.
"I would put [my] kids up against anyone," Alexander said when asked how her team matches up with Converse Judson and Duncanville in Saturday's state championship game.
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Photo by VYPE Media's Bradley Collier.
SA Veterans Memorial Holds Off Timberview; 1 Win From Finishing What It Started
It's official! After a back-and-forth battle with Mansfield Timberview, San Antonio Veterans Memorial gets its second shot at a UIL state girls basketball title in only its third varsity season. Texas A&M signee and VYPE Player of the Game Sahara Jones attacked the basket throughout the Patriots' 45-44 UIL 5A state semifinal win at San Antonio's Alamodome. Her game-high 18 points paved the way to the Pats earning a win against a fellow top 10 team in the state.
San Antonio Veterans Memorial has leaned on Class of 2020 players Jones, Brenna Perez and Vivian Castro for three seasons and it's resulted in three straight 30-win seasons, a UIL 4A state runner-up finish during the 2017-2018 season and an appearance in the 2019-2020 UIL 5A state championship game. Perez and Castro also contributed important outings on Thursday, as evident by their eight and six-point totals.
"They played as sophomores here," San Antonio Veterans Memorial coach Christina Camacho said of the Class of 2020's performance on Thursday. "They knew what it took."
Another chapter can be written if the Patriots beat a hot Frisco Liberty squad that came back against College Station to win its Thursday state semifinal match 44-41 in overtime.
"We have no choice but to finish," said Sahara Jones. "We don't like losing. We didn't like the feeling [of 2018], so now we're going to come out, do what we're supposed to do and get the win."
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Looking to get more involved? Check out ShopVYPE for fresh gear that supports local schools and the VYPE U Ambassador Program. To sign up for the VYPE U Program, apply at VYPEU.com.