McKinney nearly pulls off epic upset over undefeated Cypress Creek in 6A state semis
McKinney came into Friday night’s state semifinal as heavy underdogs.
The Lionettes had the lowest winningest percentage of any of the 24 state qualifiers this season. And they were facing the only undefeated team in 40-0 Cypress Creek.
But McKinney landed the first punch and kept up with the Cougars all night long.
Until the final seconds.
No. 3 Cy Creek (41-0) rallied back in the first half then hung on against a ferocious McKinney rally late to win 54-51 in a 6A semifinal game and advances to Saturday’s 8:30 p.m. final against the winner of Duncanville and Converse Judson.
“This whole season was been spectacular and it’s because we have great kids, leadership and school district,” McKinney coach Debbie Harris said. “Kids bought in and seniors led the charge. Did we expect to play for a state championship? We absolutely did. The kids never quit. It’s been a blessing.”
McKinney (22-13), the only unranked state team, scored eight of the game’s first 10 points which led to a Cy Creek timeout. The Lionettes added a 3-pointer by Nic Porter to go up 11-2 and the Cougars had to quickly burn another timeout.
Porter gave McKinney a 15-6 lead with 1:42 left in the first quarter, but the Cougars stormed back..
Kyndall Hunter, who scored a game-high 31 points, hit a big three to help Cy Creek get within 15-11 after one. Then another 3-pointer late in the second quarter gave the Cougars their first lead at 25-24.
They never trailed again, but the Lionettes kept fighting.
Cy Creek outscored McKinney 19-10 in the second period to grab a 30-25 lead at intermission.
A Trinity White three got the Lionettes within 40-38 with six minutes left, but Hunter made back-to-back layups to push the lead back to six. McKinney made it a two-point game with 90 seconds to play.
Ally Haman hit a three to give Cy Creek a 45-40 lead with 1:10 to go and the Cougars were 6 of 8 at the free-throw line the rest of the way.
But McKinney still had a chance.
After a second missed free throw with 8.2 left, Erin Fry’s attempt was short. The Lionettes rebounded the miss and a try from Naomi Anamekwe was no good at the buzzer.
Haman scored 11 for Cy Creek while Morgan Hill pulled down a game-high 14 rebounds.
McKinney, at state for the first time since 1998, was led by Fry (16 points) and Porter (12).
“This is a tough loss, as a senior to come this far and not finish,” said Fry. “But making McKinney history means a lot and is a great deal for us.”
This story was originally published March 6, 2020 at 9:06 PM.
