Sam Houston holds off Cypress Falls in 2 OTs
Cypress Falls and Sam Houston needed overtime to decide their playoff meeting for the second straight season.
The only difference — this time it took two of them.
Kendric Davis sank two free throws with 21.9 seconds left in the second overtime, Trajan Wesley came up short on a layup at the buzzer, and the Tigers held on to win 65-64 Tuesday at Delmar Fieldhouse, sending the defending Class 6A champion Eagles home in the Region III 6A quarterfinals.
“Last year, we thought we were supposed to win that game, so coming back … we tried to stay together through all the ups and downs,” Davis said. “There were a lot of lead changes toward the end.
“So we had to stay together to make sure we pulled out the win this year.”
Davis didn’t have his best shooting game, finishing with 13 points, but he picked up his second playoff win over the Eagles.
Sam Houston (29-4) edged Cy Falls 80-70 two years ago in the area round. It went on to win the region.
The Eagles (31-4) prevailed 63-57 in the third round last season, sending them to their first regional tournament and, eventually, first state championship with a 63-57 win over San Antonio Wagner.
They won’t have a chance to defend it in San Antonio, but not for lack of effort.
The Eagles trailed by 15 points early in the third, 11 with less than seven minutes left in regulation, and didn’t take their first lead until Wesley (28 points) hit two free throws for a 60-58 edge in the second OT.
“This group, even with their state championship, has kind of been doubted, but (Tuesday), despite their loss, there shouldn’t be doubt upon their character (and) their heart,” Cy Falls coach Richard Flores said.
“We didn’t have a great start, but … as champions do, we fought back. We fought until the end and then overtime. There was just that last minute, and last year in that last minute, we were up by five and it went to overtime, and this year we didn’t have such a big lead to play with, and we weren’t able to close it out.”
Nigel Hawkins (24 points, six rebounds) fouled out with 21.9 seconds left in the second overtime. But Davis, who picked up his fourth foul with 4:45 left in regulation, never did.
So, after Andrew Nguyen buried a 3-pointer in transition for a 64-63 lead with 46 seconds remaining, Davis stepped to the free-throw line — on the foul that ended Hawkins’ night — and hit them both.
“I knew if we stayed together we’d pull it off,” Davis said.
They did it by slowing down after Davis’ fourth foul, dribbling out time at the end of regulation and the first OT, to keep Davis from inadvertently picking up his fifth foul while flying down the court.
While Davis was sitting, or struggling, Henry Hampton was picking up slack. He finished with a team-high 23 points, including six in the second overtime. And though Davis finished 3-of-11, he also supplied eight assists and five steals.
“They did what seniors are supposed to do — they led us to a victory,” Sam Houston coach Ralph Barreras said.
Both teams attempted 51 shots.
Cy Falls went 24-of-51 and Sam Houston went 26-of-51, but with nine 3s.
They also finished with 29 rebounds and 18 turnovers apiece in a game that was as even statistically as it was on the court.
“We did it the way we’re supposed to,” Barreras said. “We won it on the defensive end. It was a game of runs, and I knew, when we had them down double digits, they were going to come back and make a run. They’re the defending state champions. So it happened to be our night, but my hat’s off to them.
“That was the best basketball game I’ve been a part of in a long time.”