Katy prepared for Tuesday like they did every other game.

The Tiger’s didn’t want to amp themselves up, didn’t want to be tense and didn’t want to come out differently they had been during a very successful spell.

But every Katy player knew the important of their game against Cinco Ranch. Win and in all likelihood, you are headed to the playoffs, lose and that quest would become a lot harder.

Katy and Cinco Ranch came into Wednesday neck and neck in the playoff race, with the Tigers holding the third spot while Cinco Ranch was tied for the fourth and final playoff spot, just a game back of the Tigers.

It was a closely contested game, but in the end the Tigers came away with arguably their biggest win of the season, beating Cinco Ranch 67-63, getting the winning bucket in the final seconds to secure an ever-important result in District 19-6A.

“We knew this was going to be a tough environment, but we came in focused and reminding ourselves that this is just one game,” said Katy head coach Michael Elizondo. “You can’t play to the circumstances or anything like that and the guys did a great job of that tonight. They went out there for 32 minutes, played together and the rest took care of itself. They took that message and they did exactly what they needed to do.”

Katy came out fired up and had a strong first quarter, leading 20-14 after one and were able to hold on to that, leading 33-30 behind an offense that made every extra pass to find open looks.

  Cinco Ranch came back with a strong second half and both teams went back and forth not being able to gain any separation, Katy led 48-46 after the third quarter and built a five point lead in the fourth but Cinco never stopped pushing and tied the game with under a minute left in regulation. But Katy had the answer, Michael Hernandez, who was huge in the second half, hit a floater with just under 15 seconds remaining and then put the game away with another layup in the final seconds after a defensive stop, as Katy celebrated knowing how big of a victory it was.

“This felt amazing,” Hernandez said. “You could feel what it meant in the locker room, we’re just really happy. It’s been a long time since we have had a chance to lock down a playoff spot and to be in this position means everything, especially as a new group. We’ve been dreaming of this and we’re just happy to be in this spot.”

Hernandez led the way with 19 points, including 10 in the fourth quarter while Greg Santos had 18, Brady Willis had 18 and Thomas Belaiter had 11.

Katy faces Seven Lakes before closing out district against Taylor, Tompkins and Morton Ranch. They know the job isn’t done yet and they aren’t letting off the gas.

“We have to play solid and play our game,” Belaiter said. “We can’t try and be something we aren’t just because of who we’re playing. It’s all about playing our kind of game and competing.”

District 19-6A

Katy 67, Cinco Ranch 63

Points: (K) Michael Hernandez 19, Greg Santos 18, Brady Willis 18, Thomas Belaiter 11, Connor Maceiras-Kimball 2; (CR) Dylan Jones-Bynum 18, Prince Jones-Bynum 16, Kellen LeCronier 13, Noah Pearce 9, Darren Moore 2;

Halftime: Katy 33, Cinco Ranch 30; 3-Pointers: (K) Willis 4; (CR) Dylan Jones-Bynum 2, Prince Jones-Bynum; Noah Pearce; Record: (K) 18-10, 8-4; (CR) 19-12, 7-6;