Cedar Park clamps down on Tivy, advances to Class 5A Division II state semifinals 🎥

By Michael Adams
Austin Sports Journal

Cedar Park’s Ahnna Briner (21) passes the ball to Caeleigh Rogers during the UIL girls basketball Class 5A Division I Region IV championship on Friday, Feb. 27, 2028 at Llano High School in Llano, Texas. (Michael Adams/Austin Sports Journal)

LLANO — Cedar Park is headed back to the state tournament.

The Timberwolves leaned on defense, senior leadership and timely free throws to defeat Kerrville Tivy 41-33 in the Class 5A Division II Region IV championship Saturday at Llano High School.

It marks Cedar Park’s fourth state tournament appearance this decade and second in the last three years. The Timberwolves won back-to-back state championships in 2021 and 2022 and now add another chapter to one of the most storied programs of the 2020s in the state.

Cedar Park (26-10) did it the hard way. Despite facing a size disadvantage in the paint, the Timberwolves held Tivy to just seven made field goals.

The Antlers (26-12) managed 15 of their 33 points from beyond the three-point line, but struggled to generate consistent offense inside against Cedar Park’s physical, disciplined half-court defense.

Highlights

After trailing 12-9 at the end of the first quarter, Cedar Park responded by holding Tivy to just four points in the second. The Timberwolves took an 18-16 lead into halftime after Grace Slaughter beat the buzzer with a layup.

It proved to be the momentum shift the Timberwolves needed.

Slaughter led Cedar Park with 13 points, while Hope Richardson added 10 and Ahnna Briner scored nine. Jayla Green chipped in five points, and Caeleigh Rogers and Nevaeh Yu each added two.

The third quarter proved decisive.

Cedar Park outscored Tivy 14-6 to build a double-digit cushion heading into the final period. Though the Antlers made a late push in the fourth behind Leilah Rodriguez, who finished with a game-high 16 points, but the Timberwolves closed it out at the free-throw line.

Cedar Park went 10 of 15 from the stripe, converting key attempts down the stretch to keep Tivy at arm’s length.

The victory carries added significance for the Timberwolves’ senior class.

Slaughter, Richardson, Briner, Green and Rogers were part of the 2024 team that reached the state semifinals. Now, they’ll have another opportunity to compete for a championship before their high school careers come to an end.

For a program that has already hung multiple banners this decade, Saturday’s performance was a reminder that the Timberwolves can never be counted out.