Oklahoma 3A boys basketball championship: Successful last "Chance" for OKC Millwood in buzzer-beating win against Community Christian
By Ross Lovelace
OKLAHOMA CITY - The matchup in the 3A boys state championship featured No. 2 Oklahoma City Millwood against No. 14 Community Christian.
The Royals were the Cinderella story in 3A, knocking off No. 1 Oklahoma Christian School to advance to the championship game.
On Saturday, the Royals kept their stirring run going by mounting a massive comeback bid against Millwood, but came up short as Chance Davis knocked down a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from the corner to win the state championship for the Falcons, 53-50 at State Fair Arena.
"You see it go through the net and you just can’t believe it really happened," said Millwood coach Mike Jeffries. "It’s just crazy, I’m still in disbelief. You can’t even describe that feeling."
Freshman Jaden Nickens led the Falcons (22-6) with 19 points on 8-of-14 shooting. He was unstoppable down the stretch and provided massive crunch-time shots.
Davis had 10 points and the game-winner, while Rocket Hunt added eight points and three assists.
Cade Bond led the way for the Royals (23-9), and was instrumental in the comeback effort, with 20 points and five rebounds. Bai Jobe also had a double-double with 14 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks.
In the first quarter, neither team could get any separation. Both squads were fighting for buckets, splitting the difference by ending the quarter in an 11-all tie.
Nickens started to find his groove in the second quarter. The freshman phenom had eight points in the quarter and took over offensively for the Falcons, finishing the half with 11 points, going 4-of-7 from the floor and knocking down two triples.
Jobe led the way for the Royals in the second quarter, finishing with six first-half points. He also snatched three rebounds, but it wasn’t enough as the Royals couldn’t slow down Millwood’s transition attack.
The Falcons' offensive attack led to 19 second-quarter points and a 30-19 lead heading into the break.
In the third quarter, Community Christian started its quest for a comeback. Bond drilled a tough, contested 3-point jumper from the top of the key to bring the Royals within eight.
With 4:45 left in the third, Millwood led 32-24.
To end the third period, the Falcons had all the momentum.
Rickey Hunt converted an and-one and on the next trip down, Nickens reared back in and threw down a violent one-handed slam to bring the house down. The Falcons led 45-31 heading into the last quarter.
Behind Bond and Jobe, the Royals mounted a comeback for the ages. Bond finished through the contact for a strong and-one with 2:09 left to cut the Millwood lead to 50-46.
From there, Jobe had the most electrifying play of the night, slamming home a two-handed dunk and igniting the Royal crowd. After a Jobe rejection and Bond free throws the next trip down, Community Christian had completed its comeback quest, tying the score at 50-all.
"I just had one of my bigs come and set a screen," said Jeffries. "I told him to look for the roll or attack, and if nothing was there, to find the shooter in the corner."
With eight seconds left, the Falcons had the ball for the final shot.
Millwood ran the play to open up Davis in the corner for a 3-pointer and he delivered. Davis drilled a buzzer-beater as time expired to bring the Falcons a state championship and etch his name in the record books forever.
"This win means a lot," Jeffries said. "This team has been through a lot, these kids have been through so much.
"The coaches too, the sacrifices we make for our families… This is what we do all this work for. To have the opportunity to win the state championship."
