Cypress Falls' hoops claim Texas Invitational girls title

How the Cypress Falls women's basketball team reacted to adversity earned them the Texas Invitational girls Division I championship Saturday at Pasadena Memorial.

The Eagles (8-0) stopped a comeback attempt by Klein Collins late in the third quarter and then launched one of their own on the way to a 51-39 victory.

It was the second win of the young season for Cy Falls over Collins (4-3). The Eagles prevailed 60-48 in the season opener for both teams on Nov. 9.

A three-point basket by Veja Hamilton with 1:52 left in the third period completed a Collins run that sliced an 11-point Cy Falls lead to three at 36-33.

The Eagles responded by slowing the pace and going to their proven scorers. A three-point basket from tournament most valuable player

Macy Moore stopped the Tigers' run. Sadalia Ellis added a basket to sent Cy Falls into the fourth period with an eight-point edge.

"Klein Collins makes it hard to run what you want to run," Eagles coach Jim Stephens said. "They did a great job on us defensively. We had to settle down and go to our strengths. It worked out for us."

Moore began the final quarter with a three-point play and a basket to spark a 8-1 run. That extended the Cy Falls advantage to 49-35.

While Moore and Larissa Scott paced the offensive effort with 15 and 11 points, respectively, the Eagles got contributions from everyone who played.

"We don't have any superstars," Stephens said. "We have a team. Because of our strength in numbers and the performance of many people, we are successful."

The toughest task Collins presented Cy Falls was finding a way to stop Hamilton. The junior guard used her quickness to lead all scorers with 24 points.

"She is hard to guard," Stephens said. "We tried to double her up and use our best defenders on her. Sadalia Ellis did a great job getting in front of her and Carol Willie did a great job for us on the back line."