Broken Bow, Madill boys able to close out Class 4A regional wins late
By Josh Jennings
Photo of Madill's RJ Morris
OKLAHOMA CITY - Kieler Young needed nine points to score 2,000 points in a win or go home 4A regional game against Cache.
He scored 18 points and helped the Savages beat Cache, 55-41, Friday at Crossings Christian School. In Friday's other regional consolation boys game, Madill never trailed in beating Tecumseh, 60-39.
Broken Bow and Madill will play at 3 p.m. Saturday at Crossings Christian School, with the winner advancing to area. These two schools have met this season in the Atoka Tournament championship game and Broken Bow won the game, 44-31.
The regional championship game will feature Crossings Christian and Tuttle at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.
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Broken Bow 55, Cache 41
Broken Bow coach Ryan Woolsey said his team had one goal in mind right now when they left Broken Bow to travel halfway across the state to Crossings Christian: Make it to the area tournament.
“We were either going to beat Crossings Christian or come through the loser's bracket,” he said. “Since we lost to a really good team Thursday, we had to respond (Friday).
"I am proud of the way we came out and played. We have given ourselves a good chance to go to the area tournament, which is all we can ask for.”
Broken Bow was ahead, 11-7, at the end of the first quarter with plays like Masyn Williston burying a 3-pointer.
Young officially joined the 2,000 points club late in the second quarter. He said scoring 2,000 points was a goal he had since his freshman year.
“Early on, I had to get my teammates involved, because Cache did everything they could to stop me,” Young said. “I shared the ball and still scored points.
"During my freshman year, I was not much of a scorer, but it took so much hard work to get here. We must keep playing hard and good defense in order to keep your season going.”
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Cache hit some shots to get back in the game, but Broken Bow’s Carl Crooks was fouled at the buzzer. He made both foul shots to give Broken Bow a 24-16 lead at halftime.
Cache opened the third quarter on a 7-3 run with plays like Tyrik Love knocking down an open 3-pointer. But Broken Bow responded and built a double-digit lead when Tyrin Tihajero made two free throws late in the third quarter, and the Savages eventually led, 37-29, after three.
The Bulldogs opened the fourth quarter on an 8-2 run with plays like Love scoring three points the old-fashioned way, making the score 39-37 in Broken Bow’s favor. Love scored 12 points for Cache.
But the Savages responded, going on a 10-2 run. Cache gave up some easy layups during this run, and the Bulldogs were unable to recover from that deficit.
“We hit some shots early, but once Cache started to hit, it was a ball game,” Woolsey said. “We did not play well. However, we started to hit and once we got the lead, we just gave the ball to Kieler and he did his thing.
"They had to trap and rush us, which made them uncomfortable and stopped their run.”
Young scored 18 points, Williston scored 14 points and Tihajero scored 12 points.
Madill 60, Tecumseh 39
RJ Morris from Madill hit two 3-pointers which helped Madill jump out to a 19-6 lead going into the second quarter.
“When you get into a rhythm and flow, shots just seem to go in,” Madill coach Brett Weiberg said. “It always helps when shots go in. The only way you advance in the playoffs is by making plays.”
The Savages opened the second quarter on a 9-2 run and got right back in the game. Madill hit two shots late in the second quarter and was ahead by seven, 26-19, going into the locker room.
Madill took over in the third quarter. It started when Ethan Wilkerson threw down a two-handed jam, which gave Madill a 31-20 lead early in the third quarter.
The Wildcats' offense exploded after this, as they scored 23 total points in the third quarter. Wilkerson also scored 15 points in the third quarter himself.
“That dunk was a great way to start the third quarter,” Wilkerson said. “We came out hot and started all the momentum.
"We shot well as a team and seemed to hit almost every bucket, which set the tone.”
This sparked a 7-2 run in a span of one minute, which gave the Wildcats a 38-22 lead. Wilkerson also scored 15 points in the third quarter. He kept making plays and Madill found themselves in front, 49-28, going into the fourth quarter.
The Wildcats worked some clock in the fourth quarter as they went on to record the win.
“I like to call this a bounce-back win and am proud of us responding,” Wieberg said. “We were not feeling good about ourselves (Thursday) night after losing to Tuttle.
"I thought we played extremely well and shot the ball well.”
Wilkerson scored 23 points and Morris scored 15 points, which included three 3-pointers. Brady Overstreet from Tecumseh scored 17 points.
