Defending 6A state boys champ Cy Falls cruises to bi-district win over Bellaire.
Cypress Falls will rely on the same selfless team-first mantra this postseason that bagged its first state title last postseason.
The Golden Eagles will just have to do it without DJ Weaver.
The 6-8 forward is injured and out for the postseason, leaving Cypress Falls without one of its key pieces.
Things went off without a hitch in Tuesday’s 70-54 bi-district playoff win over Bellaire at Delmar Fieldhouse.
But Cypress Falls coach Richard Flores knows Region III-6A only hardens for the defending Class 6A champions.
“Nobody’s going to replace DJ,” Flores said. “It’s like when (Trajan Wesley) was out. I told the guys nobody’s going to replace these guys, but everybody can step up and take a charge. Everybody can be a good passer. So you have to take those things into consideration, and they just kind of buy in.”
The Golden Eagles have been here before, as Flores alluded to. They were without then-injured point guard Wesley for much of the first half of the season and still netted a District 17-6A title.
Wesley turned in 17 points in Tuesday’s win. Senior guard Nigel Hawkins had 23 points with 11 rebounds, and Kendall Scott added 10 points and 14 rebounds.
Cypress Falls couldn’t have asked for a better start to a Weaver-less playoff run.
The Golden Eagles opened Tuesday’s game with a 15-0 run bookended by 3-pointers from Andrew Nguyen and Zach Stephenson.
Bellaire didn’t score a bucket until a layup by Adrian Ragland (24 points) with 1:27 left in the first quarter.
The mountain that Cypress Falls’ start created was too steep despite Bellaire’s feistiness. It was just a six-point deficit for the Cardinals after Latrell Alfred’s second-quarter 3, and Bellaire was trailed by just 10 at halftime.
But Cypress Falls kept Bellaire at an arm’s length.
Doug Young’s 3 applied some pressure and had Bellaire behind by seven with 3:20 remaining. Cypress Falls didn’t blink and quickly pushed the lead back to 13.
With his team’s fortitude, Flores believes Cypress Falls can still find a way without Weaver. This team isn’t as deep as it was last year, but Flores believes players like TJ Goodwin and Mason McKnight can thrive with the extra minutes, and he expects 6-6 junior Braydon Redd to be a factor this postseason, too. In other games: • Madison handled Manvel in a 92-71 bi-district playoff win. The Marlins are back in the area round after a one-year absence.
Tuesday’s game was tightly contested early until the Marlins changed the tempo. Madison coach Craig Maura said his team wanted a track meet against a strong and physical team like Manvel.
Western Kentucky signee Jeremiah Gambrell took full advantage, finishing with 30 points.
Madison was ahead 21-19 before rattling off a 12-3 run in the second quarter. Manvel pulled within six points by the half, but Madison turned the third quarter into a track meet, outscoring the Mavericks 30-18 for a smooth finish in the fourth.
• Deer Park is off the bi-district playoff schneid after being Goose Creek Memorial 74-65. It’s the Deer’s first playoff win in nine years. Deer Park was runner-up to Beaumont Westbrook in District 22-6A.
• Morton Ranch edged Travis 64-62 in bi-district action. The Mavericks led by as many as 16 points in the third quarter before Travis’ comeback. Travis guard Javontae Hopkins had a gamehigh 28 points.
Morton Ranch sophomore point guard LJ Cryer had 21 points — 14 coming in the second half. Morton Ranch sophomore guard Westley Sellers scored 18 of his 20 points in the first half.
Morton Ranch’s win sets up a huge area-round game against Sam Houston.