Class A basketball state championship roundup: Unranked Tushka boys make history; Seiling girls upend two-time defending champions

By Buck Ringgold

Tushka's boys were able to complete an unlikely journey, especially over the past two weeks.

The Tigers, unranked to begin postseason play, capped an improbable march to the Class A state championship Saturday with a 48-43 win against No. 2 ranked Garber at Oklahoma City's State Fair Arena, the Tigers' second title in program history, with the other coming in 1948.

With the win, Tushka (24-8) became the first boys team in the state to win a championship after entering the playoffs unranked.

But in the past two weeks, the Tigers vanquished five Top 10 opponents. That included No. 5 Arapaho-Butler in Thursday's quarterfinals and No. 1 Hydro-Eakly in Friday's semifinals along with the win against No. 2 Garber.

Tushka finished the season winning 11 straight ballgames.

The Tigers got out to a strong start in Saturday's title game, scoring the first 12 points while holding the Wolverines to seven first-quarter points. Tushka later led, 27-21, at halftime and was up 31-27 after three quarters.

Garber (25-4) continued to make its push, closing the gap to a single point with less than five minutes remaining. But Tushka's Cole Simpson hit two huge 3-point baskets to get the Tigers some separation.

With 18 seconds left and Tushka up two, Jeffrey Mackey hit two free throws for a 47-43 Tigers' lead. Simpson added a foul shot of his own for the final five-point margin.

Both Simpson and Mackey finished the night with 13 points, and Mackey recorded a double-double by grabbing 17 rebounds.

Garber's top scorer was David Nagel with 13 points. Tydonte Chester and Solomon Bishop added 11 and 10 points, respectively. It was the second straight season the Wolverines finished as the Class A runner-up.

Seiling 47, Hydro-Eakly 46 (GIRLS )

A pair of free throws by Teagan Hamar with 18 seconds left lifted the Lady Wildcats to the Class A state title, dethroning defending two-time champion Hydro-Eakly in the process.

Seiling also spoiled Hydro-Eakly's bid for a perfect season, as the Lady Bobcats ended up 29-1.

It was the seventh state title in program history for Seiling (27-4) and the first since 2019, when the Lady Wildcats finished a run of four straight championships.

Seiling, which was ranked No. 3 in Class A but seeded sixth in the state tournament, beat No. 5 Vanoss in Thursday's quarterfinal and No. 4 Caddo in Friday's semifinal to get to Saturday's title game.

Saturday's win also avenged a double-digit loss to the Lady Bobcats in last season's semifinals.

Hydro-Eakly trailed 6-0 early in the rematch before rallying for an 11-8 lead at the end of one quarter. But Seiling answered with 17 second-quarter points to go back in front at halftime, 25-21.

It continued to be a back-and-forth affair. Hydro-Eakly went back on top, 44-41, with 4:50 left, but from there, Seiling went on a game-ending 6-2 run.

The Lady Wildcats got the lead back late on a basket from Aryahna Whetstone. But with 18 seconds left, Hydro-Eakly regained it on a basket from Rees Berkey.

Moments later, Hamar drew a foul and went to the line, where she was able to sink both free throws. Whetstone then grabbed a rebound off a missed Lady Bobcat shot attempt and Seiling players were able to celebrate.

Whetstone was the Lady Wildcats' top scorer with 13 points. Braci Nyberg added 11 and Hamar finished with eight.

Berkey ended up with 20 points while grabbing six rebounds.