High School Baseball
Cy Ranch Blows By Atascocita; Will Face 17-6A Foe in Regional Final
Thomas Bingham
Jun 1, 2018, 6:38 pm
Cy Ranch vs Atascocita will be battle for trip to Austin
It’s been a special year for Cy-Fair ISD, and this weekend’s action was a great example of that. Cypress Ranch and Cy-Fair erased 1-0 series deficits against Atascocita and Clear Springs, so they'll renew a district rivalry in next week’s 6A Region III final.
"That just goes to show about the quality of baseball in our league," said Cypress Ranch head coach Corey Cephus. "That's a testament to everybody in our community. The Cy-Fair community is about baseball and getting it done."
Ranch jumped out to an early lead on Saturday and never looked back. It scored all six of its first inning runs with two outs, and ultimately prevailed 9-4. VYPE Player of the Game Westley Schields drove in two runs in the opening frame, so he was the difference maker in the series clincher.
"I was just trying to get good pitches to hit, put 'em in play [and] hit 'em hard," said Schields. "I knew our guy, JJ Goss, was going to be a dog on the mound, and we just came out and played our game."
Atascocita’s pitching was not on point, so runs came easy for the Mustangs. It started in the first when Colton Cowser and Jared Alvarez-Lopez walked with two outs, and Colton Owen was hit by a pitch to load the bases. The productive at-bats continued, when Matt Thompson drove in the first run with a RBI walk. Passed balls drove in the next two runs, Fabian Mayfield added a RBI walk, and Schields concluded the frame with a two-run RBI single.
17-6A’s second seed extended its lead in the second, third and fifth. Brandon Griffin drove in a pair and Mayfield had a solo home run.
Atascocita answered in the third and fifth, but its rally was too late. The Eagles drove home Macrae Kendrick and Bryce Klosterboer twice to cut into the lead.
In Cy-Fair's game, there was also a fast start. The Bobcats scored four of their runs in the first inning and prevailed 5-3 against Clear Springs. This will be the school's second all-Cy-Fair ISD regional final appearance of the school year. The other was last December's 31-14 football win against Langham Creek.
If you enjoyed the recap, follow Thomas (@Texan8thGen) and VYPE (@VYPEnwHTX) on Twitter.
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Despite a last-minute comeback attempt by Gonzaga on Saturday, the Cougars defeated the Bulldogs and advanced to the Sweet 16 for the sixth straight NCAA Tournament.
Houston will face the No.4 seed Purdue, who made it to the championship game last year.
The Boilermakers will be one of the toughest opponents the Cougars have faced thus far and will essentially have the home-court advantage with the game taking place in Indianapolis.
Despite the daunting matchup on paper, Houston is currently an -8.5 favorite to win this game. The Cougars should be able to handle Purdue so long as their offense stays hot and they continue to play defense at an elite level.
Keep the offense flowing
Houston guard LJ Cryer matched a career-high with 30 points against Gonzaga and has been the offensive focal point of this team.
This season, the Baylor transfer has averaged 15.6 points per game and has stepped up to be one of the unquestioned leaders of this team.
In addition to Cryer, the Cougars have Milos Uzan and Emanuel Sharp, who can carry the offensive load as they did during the Big 12 Tournament and against SIUE on Thursday.
J’Wan Roberts is another key factor for Houston’s success. The senior forward seems to have recovered from his ankle injury and has been a productive player since returning to the lineup.
Roberts leads the team in rebounds and is one of the most efficient scorers for the Cougars, averaging more than 50% from the field over his last five seasons.
Houston’s dynamic offense and elite defense makes this team one of the toughest to beat during the tournament.
Containing Purdue’s stars
The Boilermakers have two proficient scorers on their team, Trey Kaufman-Renn and Braden Smith, who each average over 15 points per game.
Kaufman-Renn scored 22 points in his previous game against McNeese State and has been one of Purdue’s best players for most of this year.
Roberts and Joseph Tuggler will likely be assigned to the junior forward to slow down his offense, forcing his teammates to step up.
Smith is Purdue’s second-leading scorer, averaging 16 points per game, and has the most assists and steals for the Boilermakers this season.
Both Uzan and Cyrer, who have been elite parameter defenders, will cover the Purdue guard and limit his production.
Containing both Kaufman-Renn and Smith will be Houston’s top priority and the key to come away victorious.
Play Cougar basketball
Head coach Kelvin Sampson has now made it to at least the Sweet 16 six consecutive times and has his team well-positioned to make another deep tournament run.
Since arriving in Houston, the 69-year-old coach has turned this program from an afterthought to one of the best basketball teams in the country year after year.
Sampson’s key to his success is instilling a defensive-first mentality into his team and getting the best effort out of his players.
This season is no different, as Houston has the number-one ranked defense in the nation and is holding their opponents to 58.4 points per game on average.
If the Cougars can create consistent offense and continue playing defense at an elite level, they should win this game with ease and advance to the Elite 8 for the first time in three years.
The Houston-Purdue game will be played at Lucas Oil Stadium on Friday at 9 pm. The winner will play either Kentucky or Tennessee in the next round.