Oklahoma 4A boys quarterfinals: Crossings Christian wins thriller against Holland Hall; Weatherford stuns Heritage Hall
By Ross Lovelace I Feature photo by Carlos Flores
OKLAHOMA CITY - Crossings Christian versus Holland Hall was pegged as one of the best games of the year the second it appeared on the schedule.
Both teams are incredibly similar and equally well-coached, and it showed all night in what was a 32-minute chess match - and then some.
Although it took overtime, Crossings Christian was able to hang on late, knocking off Holland Hall, 45-40, in Tuesday night's 4A quarterfinal held at State Fair Arena.
"The key was defense and rebounds, and our bigs did one heck of a job fighting down there," said Crossings senior guard Reid Lovelace. "Shots weren’t falling, so we had to rely on our defense and we pulled through."
Lovelace led all scorers with 16 points on the night. The Knights went to him down the stretch and he delivered. He also had three assists.
Freshman Cal Furnish also added nine points and three assists for the Knights.
For the Dutch, Jadon Cool led the way with spectacular play. He had a quiet second half, but finished the night with nine points, nine rebounds and two blocks.
The Dutch received backup from Jaden Tarver, who added 12 points and four rebounds.
In the first half, the opening quarter was a near deadlock. As time was dwindling under five seconds, Lovelace found Drew Wood on the pick-and-roll to give the Knights a 12-10 lead heading into the second frame.
In quarter number two, the stars were out.
Cool poured in nine first half points, going 3-for-5 from the floor. His presence on the floor impacted more than just the offensive end, though, as he recorded two steals and two rebounds.
Lovelace and Furnish got hot, too.
Furnish finished the half with just three points, a deep 3-pointer, but he notched three assists in a one minute span. Lovelace led the Knights with seven first-half points.
"Our guards are really hard to guard once we get a lead," said Crossings Christian coach Shawn Schenk. "We hit enough free throws down the stretch to be able to win it. ... It was a grind."
The fourth quarter is where things really started to heat up. The back-and-forth between Lovelace and Furnish against Tarver and Cool was a sight to see.
Crossings ended up with possession of the ball, with the score tied at 39-all with just nine seconds left. Lovelace couldn’t handle the inbounds pass, and the Dutch had a breakaway.
The Knights sprinted back on defense, though, forcing a miss and extending the game to overtime.
"I don’t have a great word for the ending; sometimes you gotta get lucky," said Schenk. "I credit our kids for not giving up on the play, we found a way."
In overtime, the guard play of the Knights took over. Crossings was able to build a small lead and sit on it for most of the period.
Lovelace’s late free throws sealed the win and a date with Kingfisher on Friday night in the 4A semifinals.
"The ceiling for this team is extremely high; the effort and passion that this team has is unmatched," said Lovelace. "We may be young. ... But I’m rocking with these guys."
Victory Christian 60, Mount St. Mary 53
Victory Christian and Mount St. Mary kicked things off at "The Big House" Tuesday afternoon in a game that came down to the wire.
After rebounding from a slow start, Mount St. Mary and Braeden Lloyd gave the Conquerors all they could handle, but Victory Christian won a close one.
"Our biggest key was limiting turnovers and taking care of the ball," said Victory senior guard Joshua Udoumoh. "We were just patient and also strong with the ball."
Jude Malhi drilled four triples for the Conquerors, leading both teams in scoring with 18 points. Udoumoh stuffed the stat sheet with 16 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks.
The Rockets were led by Lloyd, who poured in a team-high 16 points and six rebounds, along with CJ Johnson, who added 14 points and three assists.
In the first half, the Rockets got off to a dangerously slow start. After back-to-back 3's from Malhi, Victory Christian took a 20-7 lead out of the gates.
The Conquerors looked like they were about to run away with it behind their 3-point shooting and overall rebounding advantage.
In the second quarter, though, Mount St. Mary fired back. The Rockets opened the frame on a 12-0 run behind the big play of Lloyd.
Lloyd led MSM with 12 points, including two triples in the first half.
When the Conquerors went cold, they turned to the 6-foot-4 Udoumoh to get the job done in the second quarter.
After a step-back jumper with just over two minutes left in the half, he helped Victory Christian regain the lead.
"We were able to hold off their runs by just staying positive and remembering to have fun," said Udoumoh. "If we overthink, it’ll take over how we play and mess up the flow we have.
"As a senior, I tried to remind everyone to relax and have fun but also stay focused on our game plan."
Even after the Rockets second-quarter burst, Victory Christian was able to weather the storm, holding a 28-24 halftime lead.
In the third quarter, MSM tried to get over the hump behind Robert Kalsu’s offense. The 5-11 guard had six straight points, bringing the Rockets within six.
After his third straight basket with 34 seconds left in the quarter, Victory Christian’s lead sat at six, 40-34.
With 5:12 left in the final period, the Rockets had time to make one last run. Johnson and Lloyd were determined to give Mount St. Mary a chance to win late.
Lloyd kissed a tough, contact finish off the glass over outstretched arms, followed by two of Johnson’s free-throws. Suddenly, the Conqueror lead had dwindled to just one point, 45-44.
With 1:15 left in the game, MSM remained in striking distance.
Down by just three, Johnson responded to a comment coming from the end of the Victory Christian bench. That decision proved to be costly, as Johnson picked up the lone technical foul of the game.
After the Conquerors took advantage of the two free throws, Udoumoh closed the game out with his ultra-athletic abilities. He soared in for the layup on one end and snatched the defensive rebound on the other, leading the Conquerors to victory.
"The ceiling for us is really high, especially when we start having fun and playing together; now we are preparing for our next game," said Udoumoh following the win.
Victory Christian will face Weatherford in Friday's 4A semifinals.
Weatherford 77, Heritage Hall 63
While the Chargers were a heavy favorite being inside the top three of 4A for the majority of the 2021-22 season, it was the Weatherford Eagles and Cade Jennings who came to play Tuesday.
Jennings, a senior, put on a shooting display that’ll be remembered for some time, notching 32 points and going 7-for-11 from 3-point land. His outburst led the Eagles to an upset of the Chargers.
Along with Jennings, freshman CJ Nickson was a shining star for Weatherford. He finished with 18 points, nine rebounds and three assists.
For the Chargers, senior post C.J. Smith led the way. The big man finished with a massive double-double, recording 22 points and 10 rebounds.
Senior guard Sebastian Perry also helped, adding 12 points and four rebounds of his own.
Early in this game, it was all Weatherford. The Eagles started the game with fireworks, as Jennings poured in 12 first-quarter points.
Kyle McLaughlin hit his first three of the night with 7:31 left until halftime, bringing the Chargers within four. But Weatherford went back up by 10 at halftime, 38-28.
The third quarter was a roller coaster of emotions for the Chargers.
After a cross-court pass from Jennings to 6-foot-6 sophomore Nate Reherman, the Eagles were winning, 47-30.
The Chargers fought back behind Sebastian Perry and McLaughlin. Heritage Hall snatched a few steals out of a press defense and converted on offensive attempts.
With just under three minutes left in the quarter, Heritage Hall had cut Weatherford’s lead to six, 54-48.
In the fourth quarter, Jennings and the Eagles were able to close out the game.
He was clutch at the free throw line, going 9-for-10 and helping Weatherford close out a surprise victory, setting up a semifinal game Friday against Victory Christian.
Kingfisher 41, Blanchard 28
Kingfisher was able to take care of business and handle Blanchard with relative ease, cruising to the victory in Tuesday's 4A quarterfinals.
The first half was a relatively low-scoring affair.
The Jackets were scorching hot from behind the 3-point line, but they were patient offensively. Waiting for the right shot caused long possessions, explaining the lack of points.
Kingfisher, which had previously beaten Blanchard, 61-43, earlier in the season, received points almost exclusively from downtown. The Jackets finished the first half with one made 2-point field goal, two made free throws and six made 3-pointers.
Blanchard held tight, though, answering each 3. The Lions out-rebounded the Jackets in the first half, 12-8, grabbing four offensive rebounds.
Behind Xavier Ridenour and Maddox Mecklenburg’s 13 combined points, Kingfisher took a 22-13 lead heading into halftime.
Senior post Chase Davis came alive for the Jackets in the third quarter. The 6-5 big man stepped into two triples and knocked them both down.
Kingfisher used Davis’ 3-pointers to take a 33-20 lead into the fourth quarter.
In the fourth quarter, the Jackets were able to remain consistent and hold the lead. In the end, the No. 1 team in the state prevailed.
Kingfisher will face off against Crossings Christian on Friday in the 4A semifinals.
Victory Christian vs. Mount Saint Mary
Weatherford vs. Heritage Hall
