BOYS HOOPS: Fox drops 40, Cy Lakes advances to region semis

Cypress Lakes senior guard De'Aaron Fox throws one down late in the fourth quarter of the regional quarterfinal win 87-78 against Benjamin Davis, Tuesday at the Berry Center. Fox scored 40 points in the win, and the Spartans advance to face Dobie at the Campbell Center in Aldine Friday. less Cypress Lakes senior guard De'Aaron Fox throws one down late in the fourth quarter of the regional quarterfinal win 87-78 against Benjamin Davis, Tuesday at the Berry Center. Fox scored 40 points in the win, ... more Photo: C/o Joel Weckerly, CFISD Photo: C/o Joel Weckerly, CFISD Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close BOYS HOOPS: Fox drops 40, Cy Lakes advances to region semis 1 / 3 Back to Gallery

CYPRESS - The fourth quarter is a crucible. In the clutch, the lights shine brighter, the crowds scream louder and the moments loom larger.

Entering the fourth quarter, Benjamin Davis star junior forward Royce Hamm had outscored Cy Lakes senior guard De’Aaron Fox 26-25 and the Spartans were nursing a one-point lead 63-62.

Then Fox took over the defensive assignment on Hamm, holding him scoreless while he put up 15 points in the final frame, buoying Cy Lakes to an 87-78 victory over Davis in the regional quarterfinals, securing a berth at the region tournament in Aldine.

“The best player, that’s what you want to do,” Fox said, after the game. “The fourth quarter, when the lights are on, that’s when you’re supposed to play your best.”

Play his best is precisely what Fox did Tuesday night, stringing together a dazzling array of dunks, and-one layups and no-look passes to help Cy Lakes outscore Davis 24-16 in the final quarter of what had been an extraordinarily close, competitive match.

It is hard to overlook Fox’s sterling offensive stats - he led all scorers with 40 points, connecting on 13 of his 15 free throw attempts - but the Kentucky-bound guard’s most impressive accomplishment almost certainly was holding Hamm without a single point in the final frame.

“In the second half, offense wasn’t it,” Fox said. “I had 15 points [in the fourth quarter], but Royce came into the fourth quarter with 26 points and he ended with 26, and I guarded him the whole quarter. I think my defense stepped up. He was their best player, and when I took him out of the fourth quarter and they couldn’t really score.”

In the third round of the playoffs, it is hard, if not outright impossible, to win alone, and Cy Lakes enjoyed strong contributions from the role players alongside Fox, including a standout effort from junior center Armaine Ratcliff, who not only guarded Hamm for the first three quarters of the game, but also scored 17 points, earning him accolades from head coach Emmanuel Olatubosun after the game.

“Armaine Ratcliff was entered into the starting lineup and followed the game plan all week,” Olatubosun said. “When we get in that locker room, he’s going to get that game ball, because I don’t think they expected to see what he gave us in the first half.”

Freshman forward Jared Garcia was a hurricane of effort and energy Tuesday night, notching a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds, typifying the sort of overachievement Olatubosun says his team is seeing from key players.

“We knew we were bringing back, in my opinion, the best player in the country [Fox], and a bunch of guys that don’t mind being role players,” Olatubosun said. “Everybody is playing a role, and ultimately, everybody is stepping up and doing a little more than we’ve asked, and that’s just due to confidence.”

Confidence is key for this team, which finds itself in the regional tournament in the playoffs for the third year running. This team has it, and it has not come from the coaches.

“The one thing we talk about all the time is, I can’t teach confidence,” Olatubosun said. “I think they’ve gained that. We’re there three years in a row, and we’ve got confidence flying all over the place.”

For the Spartans, the victory - played in the Berry Center, in the middle of Cy-Fair ISD - was all the sweeter for being on familiar ground.

“From the day that I was given this job, we talked and we set a goal, and the goal was to get at least one step further than we were last year,” Olatubosun said. “Everybody has bought in. The schedule we had earlier this year has prepared us for this moment, and there’s no better feeling than doing it right here in our district on pretty much our home floor.”

Facing Dobie Friday 7:45 pm at the M.O. Campbell Center, the Spartans will have a chance, with a win, to press further into the playoffs than they did last season, and according to Olatubuson, there is no reason to think they will not. And the ultimate goal, a state title, inches ever closer with every win.

“With the confidence that we have, the players we have, the support we have from staff, to fans to the cheerleaders to our families, it’s a stepping stone,” Olatubosun said. “We’re going to try to get the job done this year.”