Broken Arrow boys keep on winning as Tigers move to 21-0 with road win

By Mike Moguin 

Photo of Broken Arrow's Justice Sutton by Broken Arrow Tiger Sports Facebook page

TULSA - As Broken Arrow coach Beau Wallace said in a postgame interview of a previous game early last week, “We have a target on our back."

That’s what his top-ranked Tigers were faced with Thursday night when they played arch-rival Tulsa Union Thursday night at the UMAC Center.

The unbeaten Tigers (21-0) had to overcome a slow start and the 28-point performance of the Redhawks’ 7-foot center Erik Madrid for a 66-61 victory.

“It’s a different ball game with Madrid in there,” Wallace said. “It took a lot. He’s so big that they found a way to get the ball to him and I thought we got in transition early and we took some bad shots. But we finally settled in.

"Our goal was we wanted to get in transition, but if it wasn’t there, then we needed to make them work defensively and I thought we did a better job in the second half of doing that.”

BA senior Justice Sutton, a 6-6 guard, returned from an injury he incurred earlier in the season to lead his team with 17 points.

Two other Tigers also landed in double figures. Senior 6-6 forward Ethan Ellison posted 14, and 6-6 senior guard Connor Dow grabbed 12.

“Justice was actually one of our starters. He was out with a concussion, and this was his first game back,” Wallace said. “He came off the bench, and (6-2 junior guard) Diego (Ochoa) took his spot.

"Justice will get his spot back with it being Senior Night (Friday at home against Muskogee). He is still a little winded, but that was a great spark to have him come off the bench as a starter, but I’m just proud of him and how well he played.”

Broken Arrow got off to another slow start as the upset-minded Redhawks opened with a 9-3 lead. But it didn’t take long for the Tigers to growl as they stormed with a 12-4 run to draw within a point at the end of the first quarter.

That was just the beginning of the fireworks that would take place throughout the rest of the game.

Sutton got a trey that gave BA its first lead, 18-15, two minutes into the second period. Madrid scored after taking a pass from 6-3 junior guard Dalen Fuller; then Fuller got a 3 on Union’s next possession to give his team the lead back.

Both teams kept exchanging baskets before Union broke out on top before halftime.

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Madrid, who also has the size of a football player in addition to his height, gave fits to Broken Arrow, as he was often near the glass on both sides. He would take passes from teammates to chunk the ball into the net on offense or he would be there to attempt to block shots on defense.

He made a pair of tip-ins that lifted Union to a 34-29 lead at halftime after a 3 from Dason Cook - who was matched up against Madrid - brought the Tigers to within a point.

“We didn’t make some shots that we normally would have made, just because of (Madrid's) size and length,” Wallace said. “So we got to do a better job the next time, if we play them (in the playoffs), that we get some paint points as well.”

“I think (Cook) did great (against Madrid). I’ve seen a lot of people play against Madrid; it puts a lot of pressure on you if you’ve never had to guard a big guy all the time. It’s tiring. I’m proud of Dason and how hard he worked to keep the ball out of (Madrid's) hands.”

It looked as if the Redhawks were going to pull the upset when 6-3 junior guard Cedric Dixon nailed a 3 to make it a 39-31 game in the third quarter. But there was no quit in the Tigers as they went on a 7-0 run to draw within a point, with Dow scoring the last five of the stretch.

After scoring a basket, Dow took a pass from 6-5 sophomore guard David Howell, who was fresh off a steal. Dow then made a smooth 3-pointer that sailed into the net and it was 39-38, Union, with 4:29 left in the session.

A right corner 3 by Ellison gave Broken Arrow the lead at 44-43.

But Union (10-10) seized the advantage back, leading 49-46 going into the final period.

Madrid started the final quarter by scoring a putback at the rim after missing the previous two shots with Tiger defenders trying to block it in the midst of it.

BA got most of its points in the last period through free throws due to Union fouls, but there was an impressive 30-foot 3-pointer from Dow that tied the game at 53-all with 5:01 left.

A three-point play by Sutton put the Tigers up for good, 58-57, with 2:25 to go.