Mustangs use speed to reach title game
SAN ANTONIO — The Cypress Ranch girls didn’t waste this opportunity.
They reached the regional semifinals in 2014, but injury-riddled seasons the next two years saw the Mustangs bow out of the playoffs in the third round.
Talent, health and a little luck came together in 2017. The Mustangs reached the Class 6A state tournament, and — after putting away Pflugerville 70-53 on Friday night — will play in the final game of the season.
“When (Ariana Whitfield and Didi Richards) came in as freshmen, they were hungry to be successful,” Cy Ranch coach Tresa Hornsby said of her two four-year starters. “We are here because of the hard work that they have put in.
Long-awaited chance
Said Whitfield: “That’s what we’ve been waiting for. We wanted a ring, so to get to finally play in (the championship game) when a lot of people are at home is a blessing.”
The Mustangs did it with their speed at the Alamodome. They outrebounded Pflugerville 42-30, but whether it was moving on offense off a make or a miss, Cy Ranch ran and kept the Panthers chasing.
Cy Ranch quickly erased a quick Panthers 8-4 lead in the first period, scoring the next points while keeping Pflugerville without a basket for six straight possessions. D’Asia Collins added a 3 in the final seconds, pushing the lead to 15-11.
Pflugerville never got closer. The Panthers shot 28.6 percent in the first quarter and had a fourminute stretch to end the first half where they managed four points.
“They kept beating us down the floor,” Panthers coach April Hundl said. “In our district, we have a lot of guards that pressure us this way, but maybe the limelight got us a little bit at the beginning. We thought we had to fight really fast and score quick to get back in the game.”
Whitfield and Richards each scored 20 points to lead the Mustangs; Pflugerville’s Kennedi Hodge had 25.
Duncanville in the way Cy Ranch will meet twotime defending champion Duncanville (38-2). The Pantherettes beat Converse Judson 53-41. The championship game is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. Saturday.
A win would give Cy-Fair ISD its third different champion since 2010.
Cy-Fair won its second title in four trips that year, followed by Cypress Woods winning it all in 2015.
Three of the four district playoff teams won at least a game in the postseason, with two — Cy Ranch and Langham Creek — making the regional tournament. Two reached in 2014.
Only one time since 2004 has Cy-Fair ISD not had at least one team reach the region semifinals.
“I attribute that to the reason we’re here today,” Hornsby said. “Those teams we have to play against prepare us for the big stage.”