By Michael Adams
madams@onthesidelinessports.com

SAN ANTONIO – The role of the underdog suits Cedar Park’s girls basketball team.

On Saturday, not only did the Lady Timberwolves play the role of underdog perfectly, they relished in it while facing unforseen adversity.

After a three hour delay and a change of venue, Cedar Park defeated District 25-5A rival Glenn 45-44 in overtime to win the Region IV championship. and earn a spot at next weekend’s UIL Girls Basketball State Tournament at The Alamodome in San Antonio. It marks’s Cedar Park’s third trip to the state tournament in the last four years.

More coverage

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• UIL Girls Basketball Class 5A State Tournament schedule

About an hour before the scheduled 2 p.m. start, a nearby transformer exploded and left Littleton Gym at Northeast ISD’s Blossom Sports Complex without electricity. Coaches and officials scrambled to find a new venue and settled on Northside Gym, which was 19 miles west of the original gym the game was supposed to be held.

However, the Class 6A-IV regional final between San Antonio Clark and San Antonio Brennan was taking place at Northside Gym at 2 p.m., which pushed the start time to 5 p.m.

While waiting for their game to start, Glenn and Cedar Park players witnessed an instant classic. Trailing by 19 points, defending Class 6A state champion Clark fought back and took Brennan into double overtime. However, the Bears found a way to get the win.

Cedar Park head coach Kami Williamson said she used Clark’s comeback to motivate her team, and it worked.

The Lady Timberwolves (27-11) trailed Glenn most of the game and went into the locker room at halftime facing a seven-point deficit.

Behind the hot hands of junior Hope Edwards and sophomore Hope Richardson, Cedar Park clawed back and tied the game by the end of the third quarter.

Richardson made two key three-point field goals that helped the Lady Timberwolves come back.

Glenn (35-3) retook the lead in the fourth quarter and kept it until Edwards sank a three-pointer at the buzzer to send the game into overtime.

Defense shined in overtime as Cedar Park’s Mariah Davis made the only field goal in the extra time. Edwards made 1-of-2 free throw attempts, while Glenn’s Somo Okolo made a pair of free throws for the Lady Grizzlies.

Both Edwards and Okolo led their respective teams with 19 points each.

Kennedy Carlyle was also key for the Lady Timberwolves. The senior forward had a key block in overtime and contributed nine points.

Cedar Park is returning to The Alamodome where it won back-to-back state championships in 2020 and 2021. The Lady Timberwolves will play top-seed Mansfield Timberview (39-1) in the semifinals on Thursday at 8:30 p.m.

Box score

Cedar Park 45, Glenn 44 (OT)	1	2	3	4	OT
Glenn	14	8	7	13	2
Cedar Park	9	6	14	13	3