Big game Hunter
Junior guard’s season included huge effort in the UIL state tournament
At 41-1, Cypress Creek was a hair off a perfect run in 2019-2020 and the Lady Cougars have a bevy of stars to thank.
Junior guard Kyndall Hunter elevated her game to set up for what should be a stellar senior campaign.
Hunter, the All-Greater Houston girls basketball player of the year, averaged 20 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 2.8 rebounds per game this season. She has built herself as one of the top all-around threats in the state.
Her play at the UIL state tournament is most commendable. Hunter scored 31 points in the Class 6A state semifinal against McKinney and 24 points in the Class 6A final against Duncanville, both of which were gamehighs.
Aside from the wins, Hunter celebrated surpassing 2,000 career points at Cypress Creek. Hunter is a junior and has two regional titles – with the first coming as a freshman - and a state championship game berth to her name.
It’s clear what’s next for Hunter and the Lady Cougars: winning a state championship.
“Kyndall is a special player no doubt,” Cypress Creek coach Jennifer Alexander said. “Her ability to score at will, her aggressiveness on the defense end and her work ethic is unmatched. But really the biggest impact she had on our team this year and the legacy that she will eventually leave upon graduation is her ability to lead a group of people.
“Kyndall is an outstanding listener and reads people extremely well. So, she is kind of like the pulse of the team. She is the kind of leader you want and ultimately need to have the great seasons and runs that we’ve had the past three years. I can’t wait for her to grow even more in that role her senior year with the mindset in helping us achieve our end goal.”
Q: When did you realize this team could have the season it did?
A: “Honestly at the beginning of the season talking to coach (Alexander), she kept saying our Dallas tournament (Spring Creek Invitational in Mansfield in December) was going to be the turning point for our team because that’s usually where you see where you’re at with everyone in the state. We ended up winning the whole tournament and I remember texting coach A and saying ‘You say this is a turning point and we won the whole thing.’ So I was just like ‘Yeah, we
have a shot.’”
Q: Summer Creek, which has become a rival in some sorts, knocked Cypress Creek out of the playoffs last year before that was avenged this year. How important of an obstacle was that for you and your teammates?
A: “Like every single practice, if someone was slacking, I was like ‘You can’t do that against Summer Creek.’ Because you know, they’re a great team and we can’t have an off night against
Michael Wyke / Contributor them. So, it makes you hungry when you lose to someone. Now it’s Duncanville. We can’t let that happen again. It just feeds us. It gives us fire. If you don’t want to, you have to think about how it feels to lose.”
Q: How monumental was the state semifinal win against McKinney?
A: It was so big. It was a very emotional night the night before. We were going through a lot of stuff as a team. Honestly, that win brought us closer. Now we can’t even stay off the phone with each other. We’re on FaceTime. We’re like ‘What are y’all doing?’ and ‘Oh my gosh, quarantine needs to be over.’ So for us to win despite what had been going on the whole, it was so big….”