Tecumseh girls cruise to 4A regional final, look for revenge against Tuttle on Saturday

By Josh Jennings 

Photo of Tecumseh's Kenzli Warden 

OKLAHOMA CITY - Tecumseh girls basketball had no problems whatsoever Thursday in the Class 4A regional semifinal, as they beat Broken Bow, 59-26. 

With this win, Tecumseh advances to the regional championship and will play Tuttle at 6 p.m. Saturday at Crossings Christian. Tuttle beat Plainview, 75-15, in the other regional semifinal.

Tuttle also beat Tecumseh earlier this season, 58-28, in the Lady Savages' season opener. But Tecumseh coach Eldon Gentry said Tecumseh has improved since that game.

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“Well, obviously we did not play well a few months ago, but we have gotten better,” Gentry said. “Tuttle is really good and we will come in with a different game plan. We are looking forward to the challenge against a good basketball team.”

Crossings Christian also kept its season alive, beating Seminole and will play at 6 p.m. Friday against Plainview. Cache and Broken Bow also will play at 1:30 p.m.

The winner of those two games will play one another Saturday afternoon at 1:30 p.m. for a spot in the area tournament. All regional games will be played at Crossings Christian.

Tecumseh 59, Broken Bow 26

It was a defensive showdown early in the game.

Kenzli Warden from Tecumseh scored five points in a row and they were ahead, 6-3, midway through the first quarter. Tecumseh kept scoring with plays like Serenity Jacoway burying an open 3-pointer, as Tecumseh opened up a 15-9 lead going into the second quarter.

“I thought I played well, but our team also played well, especially on defense,” Warden said. “When we play well on defense, it turns into offense.

"We executed well and shot it well, too. I wanted to score and get a lead, which is what we did.”

Tecumseh really locked down on defense in the second quarter. They built a 25-13 lead when Warden hit an open layup then knocked down a 3-pointer with three minutes to play in the second quarter.

Tecumseh kept scoring and defending. Before they knew it, they were in front, 30-13, at halftime.

Then, Tecumseh broke open the game in the third quarter, as they kept hitting shots and playing outstanding defense. They slowed the game down late in the third quarter and were in front, 44-18, when Reagan Berry hit a layup at the buzzer.

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“We have several good shooters and once we get going, it is tough to guard us,” Gentry said. “We hit 13 3-pointers in districts against Crossings Christian and (Thursday), we hit nine 3-pointers.

"We are shooting it well and hopefully, we can continue to shoot it well.”

Tecumseh kept its foot on the gas pedal and opened the fourth quarter on a 10-1 run. 

Warden scored 18 points, Jacoway 14 points and Jaydn Wilson had 12 points.

“Well, everything started on the defensive side of the ball for us,” Gentry said. “Good defense leads to great offense. We got several stops and overall, this probably was our best defensive performance all season.”

Girls

Crossings Christian 52, Seminole 48

The first quarter was low scoring and the second quarter featured two runs. Seminole opened the quarter on an 8-0 run, but Crossings Christian ended it on a 9-0 run.

CCS had its first lead of the quarter when Allison Hickey was fouled and made the layup. She made the free throw to give Crossings Christian a 19-18 lead at halftime.

“On the layup, I knew where I was supposed to be because we practiced that play all the time,” Hickey said. “We all worked hard and as a team. It was great to get a playoff win and hopefully, we can keep winning.”

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CCS trailed by five points going into the fourth quarter, but CCS came back. It was a tight finish and featured several lead changes, until CCS made free throws down the stretch and won the game.

“I thought we were scrappy down the stretch,” CCS coach Justin Williams said. “We struggled early, but made the plays down the stretch.

"We stepped up and made some shots down the stretch. We also talked about doing whatever it took to win and we did just that.”

Allison Hickey scored 17 points for CCS.

Audrea Tagg scored 13 points and Holli Ladd scored 10 points for Seminole.