Cy Woods girls top Eisenhower in bi-district playoffs

• Photos from the Campbell Center

For the last two years, the Cypress Woods girls basketball team made the playoffs and lost in the first round. The young program was just missing something.

On Monday night, in its fourth year of varsity play, Cy Woods finally made it over that hump by beating Eisenhower 60-49 in the bi-district playoffs at Campbell Center.

Cy Woods coach Virginia Flores said the team finally found what it had been lacking.

“I think this year we are communicating well and any coach will tell you how important that is,” Flores said.

Flores saw how much of a difference communication made, particularly during a tough District 17-5A schedule.

“We have had a lot of games like this one, where the opponent started to come back on us, and we had to do a better job of talking out there,” Flores said.

Cy Woods led 11-4 after the first quarter, but then let up on a feisty Eisenhower squad in the second. Cy Woods had a 24-23 lead heading into halftime.

In the third quarter, Flores saw her team transform. The passes got cleaner, the defense clicked and the Wildcats started to regain control by outscoring the Eagles17-6 .

“We were on the same page in the third quarter,” Cy Woods guard Jenny Nash said. “We were much better defensively.”

Nash led the Wildcats with 15 points.

Cy Woods advanced to the area playoffs with the win, where it will meet Bellaire or Mayde Creek.

The Cardinals and the Rams will play at 7 p.m. today at Coleman.

In other action

Cypress Falls 68, Nimitz 40 —In the first game of the doubleheader, the area and state’s No. 1 team Cypress Falls  defeated Nimitz.

The Cougars’ quick guards kept the Eagles on their toes for a half and the Eagles went into halftime with a 29-21 lead.

Cy Falls (36-1) started the second half off with an 11-2 run and did not look back, advancing to the area playoffs. Cy Falls will face the winner of today’s Memorial versus Westside game.

“I think there are always first-round jitters,” Cy Falls coach Jim Stephens said. “We have good leadership on this team and that showed in the second half tonight.

jenny.dial@chron.com