Oklahoma 4A girls basketball semifinals: Showdown between top two ranked teams set after Classen SAS, Tuttle record double-digit wins

By Buck Ringgold I Photo by Carlos Flores

OKLAHOMA CITY - In the early going of Friday's 4A semifinal, Classen SAS was struggling.

Holland Hall came out and hit an array of deep shots and even built a double-digit lead in the second quarter.

But Classen SAS finally was able to get some shots to fall, and the Lady Comets also turned up their defensive pressure to force turnovers to get back into the game.

Classen SAS eventually went in front right before halftime and broke the game open in the second half as the Lady Comets (23-1) advance to play in the first state championship game in program history after a 62-46 win against Holland Hall at State Fair Arena.

In his postgame interview with the NFHS Network, Lady Comet coach James Perinovic credited his team's defensive intensity as a catalyst for them being able to come from behind in the second quarter. Classen SAS forced 13 turnovers for the game, converting 17 points off of those.

"That's our team identity is that defensively, we want to be up, we want to have our hands active," Perinovic said. "We made some great adjustments on their shooters the second half, so we were happy with the result."

Friday's win, coupled with Tuttle's win against Weatherford in the other 4A semifinal, now sets up a tantalizing championship game on Saturday between the Lady Comets (23-1) and the Lady Tigers. It takes place at 11:45 a.m. inside State Fair Arena.

Both teams are ranked in the top two in 4A; Tuttle is No. 1 and Classen SAS is No. 2, and both are also the top two ranked teams in the SBLive Oklahoma poll, with the Lady Comets No. 1 followed by Tuttle at No. 2.

Early on, though, it appeared as if that dream showdown may not materialize.

Holland Hall (22-4) jumped out to a 15-5 lead on the strength of its outside shooting, mainly from junior guard Elise Hill. Hill then hit a 3 from about 30 feet early in the second quarter that put the Dutch up by 10 again, 20-10.

However, that's when the Lady Comets woke up from their early morning slumber, with the game having tipped off at 9 a.m.

Classen cut away at its deficit, and got within one, 26-25, when junior Jaida O'Conner hit a 3. Then on the Lady Comets' ensuing possession, senior point guard Jordan Harrison made a driving layup to put them in front. 

With time running out in the first half, Classen SAS senior standout Darianna Littlepage-Buggs drove the baseline for a successful finish, giving her team a 29-26 halftime advantage.

Hill launched another 3 at the outset of the second half, pulling the Dutch within two, 31-29. But it was as close as they were able to get, as the Lady Comets reeled off 10 straight points and eventually went up by 11, 44-33, at the end of the third quarter.

Holland Hall trailed by 10, 48-38, on a jumper from senior Ava Greer. The Lady Comets promptly embarked on another 10-0 run, capped by a pair of Harrison foul shots with 1:54 left which pushed the lead to 20, 58-38.

Harrison led Classen SAS with 17 points, making all eight of her free-throw attempts. She was one of four Lady Comets in double figures.

Littlepage-Buggs, the senior forward who is headed to Baylor, added 15 points and grabbed 16 rebounds, six of those on the offensive glass.

Micah Gray and Skylar Durley each added 12 points, and the two combined for nine rebounds as the Lady Comets outrebounded the Dutch, 34-24. Classen SAS also recorded 14 second-chance points in grabbing 14 offensive boards.

"(Rebounding) is very, very crucial for us," Perinovic said in his postgame interview. "We're athletic; we know that, but we need to be able to crash (the boards) and when we dominate the paint, then we usually come out with the victory."

Hill led all scorers with 22 points and converted six 3's. Junior forward Kalayia Johnson had a double-double of her own with 13 points and 13 boards.

Tuttle 62, Weatherford 37

The Lady Tigers ensured Saturday's showdown with Classen SAS by jumping out to an early start on Friday.

Tuttle went on to record its second decisive win against Weatherford in as many months. On Feb. 11, the Lady Tigers picked up a 54-39 win against the Lady Eagles.

"(We just have to be) in the right places and making the right play," Tuttle coach Brian Lester said in a postgame interview with the NFHS Network. "We haven't had a whole lot of adversity this year, so all I've preached in practice and kind of probably over the top, is making the right play, doing the right thing because (Saturday), we're going to have to play almost perfect to be able to get a win against Classen; they're so good."

Tuttle scored 11 of the game's first 15 points, and built a 14-4 lead at the end of the first quarter on a 3 from senior Storie Driver.

The Lady Tigers then extended that lead to 17 points late in the first half.

Sophomore Allie Rehl came up with a steal near midcourt and went in for a layup while being fouled. She completed the three-point play to put Tuttle up 27-10, and Rehl's three-point play capped a 9-0 Lady Tiger run to end the first half.

Tuttle went on to continue controlling things after halftime, with Rehl beating the third-period buzzer with a jump shot as the Lady Tigers' lead expanded to 31 points, 51-20.

Rehl scored 18 points on 7-of-13 shooting with a pair of 3's for the Lady Tigers.

The only loss for the Lady Tigers (25-1) was to Arkansas school Greenwood in the Tournament of Champions held in December at Fort Smith, Ark. Greenwood won the Arkansas 5A state title on Thursday.

Tuttle also won the Bertha Teague Mid-America Classic in Ada over the Christmas holiday, beating Class B runner-up Lomega and Class 3A semifinalist Perry along the way. The Lady Tigers also beat Jones, which will be playing for the 3A title on Saturday.

Lester is optimistic the challenging schedule his team has played can be an x-factor in Saturday's 4A title game against Classen SAS.

"We were hoping to up our competition, so that if we got the chance to get to the finals and play Classen, we would hope to be prepared," Lester said in his postgame interview. "But I don't know if you can prepare for that athleticism."