HCN Sports

The Cedar Park girls basketball team fell 67-45 to top-ranked Mansfield Timberview in the 5A semifinals Thursday night, capping a remarkable playoff run after finishing as the 3rd seed from District 25-5A. No. 1 Timberview will face No. 2 Frisco Liberty for the title Saturday. – at San Antonio, TX

“If you're going to win this game, you've got to come in swinging." ESPN Analyst Kirk Herbstreit previewed Texas vs Alabama with local media this week. hillcountrynews.com/stories/…

Gyasi Zardes and Ethan Finlay scored again on Saturday, with Julio Cascante chipping in a third goal as Austin FC defeated the Houston Dynamo 3-0. It was the Verde & Black’s second win by the same score over a Copa de Tejas rival this week.

The popularity of disc golf has been growing by leaps and bounds since the pandemic, and one local group is doing what it can to revitalize a local Leander park. The grand re-opening of Benbrook is this Saturday. bit.ly/448XyeX

"Sometimes, when you score the first one, it kind of opens up for you, and hopefully, that’s the case for me.” If Wednesday's performance against FC Dallas is any indication, #AustinFC midfielder Diego Fagundez is getting his swagger back. bit.ly/3PlfP4J

Texas infielder Mitchell Daly is entering the transfer portal after three seasons with the Longhorns. bit.ly/46f6e5h #HookEm

Jon Gallagher is the type of guy who is likelier to accomplish a goal when he writes it down. One of the goals at the top of his list was becoming an MLS All-Star, and he might be the best shot #AustinFC has at getting a player to Washington, DC. bit.ly/3pdRkMe

"As a group, it wasn’t up to our standards, and we’re obviously very disappointed." #AustinFC ended the first half of the season on a sour note Saturday against Sporting Kansas City and has more than a week off before back-to-back rivalry games. bit.ly/42w8GBr

Never giving up is ingrained in the culture of Rouse baseball. The Raiders fought until the end in the regional finals, but @rouse_baseball fell to Boerne Champion in Game 3 on Saturday. "I love those guys, and I’m gonna miss those guys. We’ll be back." bit.ly/43JzXkL

"This late in the year, these guys have put in the work, and we’re ready for anything we see." Colin Carrejo pitched a complete game, and the bats came alive again as @rouse_baseball beat Boerne Champion in Game 1 of the regional semifinals on Thursday. bit.ly/3oIsNi1

Sebastian Driussi is back. Big time. He returned from injury and scored the game-winning goal to help #AustinFC beat Minnesota United FC on Wednesday. "I’m happy to be back, and it feels great to score the goal that gave us the victory." bit.ly/45DTbKB

"You look at different routes of getting to Omaha, there’s not one exact (way).” Texas begins the NCAA Tournament as the No. 2 seed in the Coral Gables Regional. The Longhorns open the tournament against Louisiana on Friday. bit.ly/3C1MzYH #HookEm

After back-to-back state titles, five undefeated district titles and 174 wins, Donny Ott is leaving @CPLadyWolves after six years. "I gave every ounce of my energy and passion to the kids at Cedar Park and within the program." bit.ly/3MzKpVe

Rouse sweeps La Joya Palmview in the regional semifinals. The Raiders will face either CC Ray or Boerne Champion in the regional finals. #TXHSBaseball

Leo Väisänen is the latest #AustinFC player to be sidelined after suffering a knee injury on Wednesday. The key defender has started 12 of 13 MLS games this season. "You feel for Leo since he’s been extremely good. We’ve got to keep pushing forward." bit.ly/3OCNkPD

Sunday was an emotional night for the Texas Stars, especially head coach Neil Graham and captain Curtis McKenzie. They couldn't pull themselves out of an early hole in a Game 5 loss to the Milwaukee Admirals, and their season came to an end. bit.ly/3MrZt75

"No matter what’s going on, I’m always looking to keep pushing through." Of all the traits that make Gyasi Zardes one of the all-time MLS forwards, one of the most important is his perseverance. The #AustinFC striker broke through in a big way this week. bit.ly/3Mgyxaw