Downed by dynasty
Lady Cougars’ championship bid and unbeaten season stopped by Pantherettes
Cypress Creek girls fall to Duncanville in 6A state final.
SAN ANTONIO — McDonald’s All-American in tow, Duncanville coaches arrived at the Alamodome on Saturday night dressed in all black to match the players’ jerseys.
They stood stone-faced in unison, hands behind back, staring at Cypress Creek’s bench as the Lady Cougars’ lineup was being introduced.
You don’t just play Duncanville. You play the name. You play the state’s most prominent girls basketball program.
The Pantherettes thwarted perfection in a 63-47 win over Cypress Creek in the Class 6A state championship game. Cypress Creek was looking to complete a 42-0 campaign.
It was Duncanville’s 26th appearance in a state tournament and its 11th state championship.
Inside the game’s first two minutes, Cypress Creek starting senior center Morgan Hill was injured on a play. She had to be carried off the court before returning later in the first quarter and limping and favoring her leg at points of the game.
“Even at that moment, you could see the bench (say) ‘Come on. Tighten up. Someone’s got to step up. Next man up,’ ” Cypress Creek coach Jennifer Alexander said. “That’s kind of been the theme of the weekend. She came out, fought through it, hobbling back. I’m proud of her for fighting through that.”
The conversation around the Lady Cougars already was centered around star guard Rori Harmon, who did not play in and was not on the bench for Friday’s semifinal win over McKinney.
Alexander said after Friday’s game that Harmon’s unavailability was due to the guard’s violation of team rules.
Freshman Krishawn Lee started in place of Harmon on Friday and Saturday.
Hill is a major force on the glass for Cypress Creek. She had 14 rebounds in Fridays semifinal. She was replaced by junior Riyah Francis and Cypress Creek played tough during the short spell without her, building up a 9-5 lead.
Duncanville (40-3) found groove, though, to the tune of a 9-0 run to end the first quarter. The Pantherettes’ lead grew to 14 with 55 seconds before the break but Cypress Creek only trailed 32-22 when halftime arrived.
And the end of the first half could have been viewed as a potential launching pad for Cypress Creek to get back into the game.
A Duncanville player was called for a technical foul with official determining Cypress Creek’s subsequent free throws would be attempted to start the third quarter.
Cypress Creek junior guard Kyndall Hunter was 1 of 2 on those free-throw attempts and Hill added a layup to cut the deficit to seven.
Hunter was fouled on the next possession and one again with the miss turning into a put-back from Taylor Jackson.
Not even a minute had wasted and Cypress Creek whittled the lead down to four in the third quarter.
“Again, no quit in this group,” Alexander said. “It was a little bit of momentum. We didn’t get enough stops at that moment to get over the hump, force it within two or even take a lead. But their efforts, I’m very proud of them.”
But Duncanville is Duncanville for a reason. The Pantherettes answered with a 15-7 run to push the lead to 12 heading into the final quarter. Deja Kelly is the AllAmerican leading the way for Duncanville. She finished with 23 points.
Hunter finished with 24 points going 7 of 14 from the field Saturday. She scored 31 points on Friday, having to assume to scoring load with Harmon gone.
As it stands, the backcourt of Harmon and Hunter will lead another Cypress Creek trek back to the state tournament next year.
Another run will have to be done without 6-foot-3 Hill or starting guard Ally Haman but the core’s return wouldn’t change Cypress Creek’s status as the region’s top team.
“Honestly, it’s just a blessing,” Hunter said. “We made history whether or not we won or lost. I’m just so proud of my team and I’m so grateful we had the year that we had. Next year is going to be a different story.”