"Rising Above: How The Golden Eagles Secured 1st Place"
The Retrograde
Cypress Falls started this game on a 5-0 run before the Mustangs of Cypress Ranch finally answered back. Both teams were looking to find their footing. The Golden Eagles could count on Daylon Porter who scored 7 points in the first quarter. That would allow the Golden Eagles to close out the quarter with a 4-point lead.
In the second quarter, Cy Falls continued with their offensive onslaught and was able to push the lead from four to a 10-point lead with [5:27] remaining in the half. Cypress Ranch had a lid on the bucket as Cypress Falls would increase the lead to 14 points before Cypress Ranch would finally get a bucket with [:49] remaining in the half.
Cypress Falls starts off the third quarter with a trey ball by Julian Greer. The Golden Eagles would go on and score 7 points to start the quarter before Cypress Ranch would get on the scoreboard with a pair of free throws by Chris Tippins with [5:29] remaining in the quarter. Cypress Falls was patient with the ball didn’t rush anything on the offensive side of the ball and was able to hold Cypress Ranch defensively to only 5 points in the quarter. Cypress Falls would end the third quarter with a 15-point lead.
The fourth quarter would start with a couple of trey-ball trade-offs by both teams. No matter what Cypress Ranch did in the fourth quarter, they just couldn’t cut the lead past an 11-point deficit. Cypress Falls decided to sit on the ball and play stall ball with [2:45] remaining in the fourth quarter. Which resulted in a big victory to keep them in first place in the district.
The Golden Eagles avenge their loss to the Mustangs in the first half of the district as they split the series 1-1 but Cypress Falls moves on to 10-2 in district play and Cypress Ranch drops to 8-4 in district play.
Five Players Who Stood Out
DJ Baines 5’10” G | Cypress Falls | Jr.
DJ shot the ball well from the perimeter for the Golden Eagles. He was in a shooting rhythm that he displayed in warm-ups as he was draining almost everything. When running the offense he never got rattled, but was big off-ball as a catch-and-shoot guy.
Julian Greer 6’4” W | Cypress Falls | Sr. BSH80
Julian didn’t take a lot of shot attempts but he affected the game on the defensive side of the ball. He had some big-time blocks, he was deflecting passes, and just being disruptive throughout the game on the defensive side of the ball.
Daylon Porter 6’4” SF | Cypress Falls | Sr. BSH80
Daylon is a downhill driver with the pill and a slasher without the rock. His ability to bang down low and be used as a four-man truly helps the Golden Eagles. He paced the was with the high for the team.
Brayden Young 6’9” C | Cypress Falls | Sr. BSH80 LOYOLA CHICAGO (D1)
The Loyola Chicago signee was a force on the interior on both sides of the ball. He had a pair of dunks in the game and was huge on the glass defensively, as well as, blocking shots in the second half of the game.
Chris Tippins 6’5” SG | Cypress Ranch | Sr. BSH80
Chris put the Mustangs on his back and tried his best to carry his team. He was hitting some tough contested jumpers. He showcased his ability to guard multiple positions on the switches. Had some key block shots, and shot the ball well from the perimeter. He scored 80% of his team's points.
Article Written by: Geoffrey Day
[Ball So Hard, Owner & National Scout]
February 7th, 2024
