When a shocking injury struck the Cypress Springs boys basketball team earlier this year, the Panthers came together as a team and rose above it.

Panthers superstar Erik Williams broke his foot during a practice following December’s Houston vs. The Nation tournament and has been out of commission ever since.

“The season started off great,” point guard Daquan Williams said. “But unfortunately we were hit with a road block when Erik Williams, one of our superstars, went down. After that we had a slide down.”

Cy Springs had a 19-2 record after defeating top-ranked Florida team Montverde Academy in late December. And after a dry spell following Williams' injury, the Panthers are 12-4 since. They will face Madison Tuesday in a 5A regional quarterfinal at the Aldine Campbell Center.

Cy Springs coach John Harmatuk knew what the team had to do to fill Williams’ spot and make it this far.

“Coach (Harmatuk) said we don’t need to fill Eric’s place, we just need to play harder,” Daquan Williams said. “So that’s what we’ve been doing and we’ve been winning ever since.”

That’s because players have stepped up and led this team. Cy Springs has 10 seniors leading this team in search of a championship season.

“In my eyes, the whole team has stepped up,” said Erik Williams, a Marquette commitment. “But the ones who really stand out are Ernest Wafer, Jon Smith, Daquan Williams, and Phillip MacDonald. They’ve really stepped it up with the scoring and defense.”

“When (Erik Williams) went down it hurt us big time,” Daquan Williams said. “Ernest Wafer and Jon Smith have stepped up down the stretch. Phillip MacDonald is going to come up with big plays all the time. We’ve just been playing our game, taking it to the rack, and doing what we do.”

The Panthers are having one of the best seasons they’ve had in years.

“It kind of hurt us when I was injured but the team got together and really supported me,” Erik Williams said. “They sucked it up and kept going on with the season and they’ve made it this far.”

Two years ago, the Panthers lost to Hastings in the area round and last year they were knocked out by Katy Taylor in the bi-district round. This year, they are looking to take it all the way.

“I think they can go all the way, with or without me,” Erik Williams said.

Subscribe to this comment's feed