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Oklahoma 3A boys quarterfinals: Big performance from Josiah Johnson lifts Marlow; top contenders Oklahoma City Millwood, Oklahoma Christian School post victories

A busy day for 3A boys action at State Fair Arena

By Nathan Aker I Photos by Carlos Flores

OKLAHOMA CITY - Josiah Johnson let a 3-pointer fly, heard the buzzer sound and saw it go through the net to head into the second quarter.

Johnson’s buzzer-beating score led him to a 17-point performance with three 3-pointers in the first half for Marlow. Johnson finished the contest with a game-high 28 points and eight rebounds, and his first-half excellence helped propel the No. 4 ranked Outlaws (22-3) to a 52-43 victory against No. 7 Roland (16-9) in 3A quarterfinals Wednesday afternoon at State Fair Arena.

"It feels pretty good," Johnson said following Wednesday's outing. "We didn’t make [the tournament] last year, but I feel like we’re going to go all the way this year."

The Outlaws punched their ticket to the state tournament following a 41-33 win against Bethel on March 4.

This is the fifth time Marlow coach Kirk Harris has reached the state tournament, but it is the first time that he has earned a victory to advance to the semifinal.

After a sloppy start for both teams, Marlow extended its lead to 17-6 following Johnson’s deep 3-point shot. Marlow carried that momentum into the beginning of the second quarter, as Jace Gilbert knocked down a 3 of his own.

Despite Gilbert’s 3 in the second quarter, Harris knows that he can get more out of his senior forward. Gilbert, who has signed with Iowa State's football team as a placekicker, posted seven points in the contest and shot 1-for-4 from 3-point range.

"He played well, he just didn’t shoot as well as he normally does," Harris said. "For the year, he’s shooting 46 percent from 3 and he was a little off tonight. But, he’ll be ready to play on Friday."

The Outlaws entered halftime with a 27-14 lead.

Marlow continued to solidify its advantage in the third quarter, outscoring the Rangers 14-6. Johnson’s efforts throughout the first half were paramount, and that didn’t change in the second half.

Johnson started the third period with a mid-range jumper coming off a highly effective pump fake. Johnson’s shooting benefitted his teammates as he garnered more attention from the defense.

"That was a big factor for us for [Johnson] to be able to stretch [the defense] out and draw their defense where we can get inside more," Harris said of his 6-foot-5 forward.

But Roland made things interesting later in the second half.

A steal by Ashton Peters led to a miss by Bryce Medicine Bird, but Peyton Whisenant was there for the put-back layup.

Then, Roland senior Tuvaris Noonan stepped up, sinking a floater in the lane with 50 seconds left in the third. Noonan had quite a performance for the Rangers, scoring 13 points with three rebounds and two assists.

Entering the final period down 41-20, Roland nearly made a comeback, but ran out of time. The Rangers outscored the Outlaws in the quarter, 23-11, and closed the gap to as little as nine close to three minutes left in the contest.

"Overall, I thought defensively we played well," Harris said. "I was a little disappointed down the stretch."

Following Marlow’s victory, the Outlaws' next matchup will be the 3A semifinals against Oklahoma City Millwood at 8:30 p.m. on Friday at Yukon High School.

"We just had to go play ball," Johnson said.

Oklahoma City Millwood 56, Kingston 39

Millwood’s swarming defensive presence abetted them to handedly take down Kingston on Wednesday afternoon.

No. 18 Kingston (20-8) had a whopping 26 turnovers in the loss as No. 2 Millwood (20-6) came out with the victory in the 3A quarterfinal inside the State Fair Arena.

Led by Jaden Nickens’ 19-point performance, the Falcons had eight players contribute in the points column. Kingston’s Mason Burkhalter scored a team-high 10 points and also added seven rebounds and two assists.

After a slow start to the contest, eight points by Nickens led Millwood to a 15-13 lead entering the second quarter.

The Falcons opened the next quarter on fire as they went on a 7-0 run and gained a 22-15 advantage with four minutes left in the quarter.

The scrappiness from Millwood proved to be the upper hand. Thanks to multiple trips to the free-throw line from Rickey Hunt, the Falcons maintained a seven-point lead heading into halftime.

Kingston’s first-half woes stemmed from turnovers. Kingston had 13 turnovers entering the third quarter, compared to three from Millwood.

Kingston’s sloppiness seeped into the third quarter. Hunt had back-to-back steals, leading to wide open layups on the other end.

After a timeout from Millwood following a baseline drive and score from Kingston’s Brady Brister, the deficit was cut to four points as the Falcons led, 30-26, with 3:58 left in the third.

A drive from Brister led to a difficult layup attempt with defense from Nickens. Kingston’s Reid Cason rose up to secure the rebound and then missed his own shot, but came down with the offensive rebound again and laid it back in.

After a pull-up jumper from Brister, the score was tied at 30-all with 1:20 left in the third. But, a mid-range shot from Nickens and a steal and score from Craylin Liberty saw the Falcons in the lead again, as Millwood headed into the final frame leading 34-30.

Two quick steals at the start of the fourth from Millwood quickly extended its lead to eight.

Moving in the post, Millwood’s Kobe Law maneuvered around the defender for the lay-in. An and-one opportunity for Chance Morris furthered the Falcons’ lead.

A steal from Kingston’s Mason Burkhalter led to a layup, but it would be too late to spark a comeback as Millwood held a 16-point lead with 44 seconds left to play. Nickens connected with Hunt for an alley-oop dunk that capped off the Falcons’ performance.

Oklahoma Christian School 49, Vinita 38

Oklahoma Christian coasted to a victory on Wednesday night behind a 24-point performance from 6-foot-7 sophomore Luke Gray.

The 3A No. 1 OCS Saints (23-5) defeated the unranked Vinita Hornets (22-7), 49-38, in the third matchup of the 3A quarterfinals.

The Saints entered Wednesday’s contest following an impressive four-game run, defeating No. 7 Roland, No. 15 Crooked Oak and unranked Kiefer and Cascia Hall.

Gray began the game in a groove, hitting a 3-pointer and had eight of the Saints’ 13 points nearing two minutes left in the first. However, Vinita’s Kyron Downing skipped through the lane to convert a difficult layup, forcing OCS to call a time out.

A pull-up jumper from Vinita’s Paul Glasscock cut the deficit to three, as the Hornets trailed 15-12 at the end of the first.

A couple of steals and a successful 3-point shot from Glasscock handed Vinita a two-point lead to begin the second quarter. The 5-11 junior garnered eight points with 4:03 left to go in the half.

In a neck-and-neck second quarter, Vinita ended the first half with a 23-22 lead following a 3-pointer from Nolan Martins.

OCS and Vinita were comparable on the stat sheet entering the second half. The Saints accounted for 11 rebounds and four turnovers as the Hornets tallied 12 rebounds and five turnovers.

OCS swiftly started the third period with a layup from Gray. He didn’t stop there, as the sophomore began to help the Saints break away in the middle of the quarter after two layups and a 3-pointer.

The Saints outscored Vinita, 15-9, in the third frame as they headed into the final period.

A layup by the Saints’ Carter Hodson gave OCS a 5-point lead nearing five minutes left in the fourth. Jon McKee knocked down a clutch 3-pointer, but would miss two free throws on the next offensive opportunity.

The next time down the floor, Oklahoma Christian’s Gannon Roberts sank both of his chances from the free-throw stripe, furthering the Saints’ lead at 44-38.

A travel call on Vinita’s Tucker Winfrey left a bitter taste for the fans. The call held importance as Gray would find a naked spot in the Hornets’ defense, converting an and-one layup.

Gray laid it up and in once more as the Saints took home the victory.

Oklahoma Christian advances to the semifinal and takes on Community Christian at 7 p.m. on Friday at Yukon High School.

Community Christian 53, Washington 49

No. 14 Community Christian School (22-8) edged out the win against No. 13 Washington (19-9) before a raucous crowd inside the State Fair Arena.

CCS leaned heavily on forward Bai Jobe, who tallied a double-double with 17 points and 16 rebounds along with two blocks. For Washington, Anthony Trejo contributed 10 points, two rebounds and two assists in the loss.

To open Wednesday’s game, Jobe started things with an easy layup. Immediately after, Washington’s Hector Quinonez rose into a layup and got fouled for the and-one.

A 3-pointer from the Royals’ Noah Robinson erupted the crowd again, just three minutes into the game. A second lay-in from Jobe gave Community Christian a six-point lead with 3:05 left in the first. 

CCS’ short-lived run was thwarted after Washington’s Cash Andrews drew a foul and laid it in, leading to another score for the Warriors from Luke Hendrix. CCS held a 12-9 advantage at the end of the quarter.

The fan bases of both squads were electric, but the Royals’ audience voiced their support after every score.

Washington built momentum in the second quarter, jumping out to a 16-13 lead. But, a mid-range jumper from Boyce McIntosh and a ferocious swat on a layup attempt from Jobe retook a two-point advantage for the Royals.

A three from Collin Bond assisted CCS to a 23-21 halftime lead.

Coming out of the break, Community Christian gained the edge early. An and-one from McIntosh lengthened the Royals' lead to five.

McIntosh took his opportunity again with a wide-open shot, but air balled, leading to a layup from Quinonez. Quinonez’s layup blossomed into a quick run from the Warriors, taking the lead 36-35 into the fourth.

Everything was back-and-forth in the final period, but an and-one from Jobe stirred a frenzy in the crowd as CCS held a 50-46 lead with 3:53 left in the game.

Then, an and-one from Anthony Trejo brought the game even closer.

Washington had the chance to tie or win with 30 seconds left, but a steal and score from Bond at half-court sealed the victory for Community Christian.

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