Cypress Springs boys basketball coach John Harmatuk didn't need a chalkboard to dissect Monday night's 61-57 victory at Langham Creek.
He felt the biggest edge the Panthers had in a game that started as a track meet and turned into a gutcheck was their experience, specifically having 13 seniors against a Langham Creek with eight seniors of its own but a boatload of underclassmen.
But the defense did its part, blocking a handful of shots and holding Langham to one field goal in the final 3 minutes, 3 seconds to pull away in a sometimes-tense District 17-5A game.
"I have veterans - smart, tough players," Harmatuk said. "I challenged them a bit earlier in the game. We've been struggling some offensively and I don't know why. I have to figure it out. But we've been finding ways to win, and to win road games in this district not playing your best says a lot about the team."
Cy Springs, which already has defeated five of the top 25 teams in the state, improved to 13-2 overall and 3-0 in the district.
The entire night was tense in this edition of what the locals called the "529 rivalry," after the FM route linking the schools. The student sections chanted back and forth at each other the whole game and a handful of fans jawed; the Panthers had to be taken out the back of the gym and boarded their bus immediately following the game.
The Panthers used an early 15-5 run to lead 21-11 after a fast-paced first quarter, but the Lobos (7-9, 1-2) steadily closed the gap in the second quarter and tied the game at 26 on Mike Jones' 3-pointer with 24 seconds left in the half.
Cy Springs finally re-established its tempo late in the third and throughout the fourth, building four-point leads on a few occasions only to watch Langham come back to tie.
Erik Williams, a three-year starter, and senior Ernest Wafer hit back-to-back layups with about a minute left to extend the lead to 60-55.
Jon Smith scored 14 points and Wafer 10.
"That's how I want to play," Harmutak said of the quick pace. "When we're running and moving, honestly I don't think anyone can beat us. When we're scoring easy baskets, that's how we like to play.
"Langham made it tough. They started defending us, they started taking away Phillip McDonald (a New Mexico signee) which is a good game plan, but we made the plays down the stretch. We have the seniors; they have the young kids."
Micah Chester had 18 points and Jeff Green 15 for Langham Creek.
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