Cy Falls claims 6A basketball crown
Cy Falls tops S.A. Wagner to win the Class 6A boys basketball title on a day when two other local teams fell just short.
SAN ANTONIO — Saturday was for Kavin Gilder-Tilbury, now the leading scorer at Texas State, who led Cypress Falls to a share of the district title but couldn’t get past the second round of the playoffs.
It was for Mitchell Badillo, a two-time district MVP for Cy Falls, and Gabe Muoneke, who led the Golden Eagles to their first district title in 1995. Neither played in a postseason game past the third round.
It was for former Eagles coach Jim Draudt, who started the program and retired in 2014 after 22 seasons and 593 career wins. His teams won nine district championship but never got past the regional quarterfinals.
And for every other former Cy Falls player and coach who built the program into a playoff regular. The Eagles finally made it to the big stage in 2017 — and they finished it off, beating San Antonio Wagner 63-57 in the Class 6A state championship game at the Alamodome.
“For all those years that we came close and couldn’t quite get over the hump, this is a culmination of everything we worked for,” said Draudt, who had a gold medal hanging from his neck afterward while his phone buzzed with text messages from former players. “I just think of all the guys that put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into it. It’s just a great moment.
“Great moment for the program, great moment for the school and great moment for the community. Just incredible. ”
Cy Falls ends its season at 35-3, winning its final 25 games. The Eagles will be an early favorite next season as well, as they started five juniors. That included the game’s most valuable player Nigel Hawkins (18 points and four steals) and leading scorer Trajan Wesley (game-high 20 points).
It didn’t start the Eagles’ way.
Cy Falls fended off an early push from Wagner’s 6-9 star Tristan Clark, who didn’t miss a shot in the first quarter. The Eagles then turned up the defense, and used that to open up in transition. A12-4 run in the second quarter got them back in the game. Another in the third put them in control.
“It’s a game of adjustments,” Cy Falls coach Richard Flores said. “We had to have it because the guys that they have you can’t just play one on one. You have to make sure your help defense is solid and your rotations are really good.”
Wagner clawed back, cutting it to three in the game’s final minute, but Cy Falls held off the Thunderbirds at the free-throw line. Wesley hit eight in the final quarter.
The last of Trajan Wesley’s three free throws made it 23-23 going into the break.
The Eagles kept attacking and went on a 15-4 run to start the third quarter. Andrew Nguyen made the last four points, hitting two free throws as he got Clark to commit his third personal. He converted the next time, making it 38-27 lead and forcing a Wagner timeout.
Clark committed his fourth foul two minutes into the fourth and went to the bench. Cy Falls took advantage, stretching its lead to double digits before the senior returned.
“It’s unbelievable,” Nguyen said. “I shed some tears.” angel.verdejo@chron.com twitter.com/ahverdejo