Kingfisher boys scrap their way to 4A regional title despite scoring season low in points
By Ty Loftis
Kingfisher boys photo by Kingfisher Boys Basketball Tip Off Club Facebook page
CLEVELAND - The old adage of defense wins championship is most apt of a description in football, but Saturday night’s 4A boys regional championship game between Inola and Kingfisher was just that, as two high-scoring teams clawed to the end.
Both teams had their lowest point totals of the year, but it was Kingfisher which got the win, 41-23.
“That’s what it’s all about,” Kingfisher coach Jared Reese said. “It doesn’t have to be pretty this time of year, it just has to be a victory, and for us, that is what it was.”
Both teams had good looks throughout the game, but had trouble getting shots to fall and never could get into a rhythm offensively. One offensive bright spot for the Yellowjackets was the play of senior Xavier Ridenour, who was one of two Jackets in double figures.
Ridenour said for him, Saturday was about more than showing off his offensive skill set.
“It’s great to go out and score points, but when it comes down to it, you have to get stops,” Ridenour said. “(Saturday), we did that when it mattered most and we never let them get on any real runs.”
To Ridenour’s point, Kingfisher led 10-3 at the end of the first quarter and took a 15-9 lead into halftime. At the 2:36 mark of the third quarter, a basket from Inola’s Trevor Groff gave Kingfisher a 21-15 lead.
From there, the Jackets did nothing but expand upon that lead heading into the fourth quarter before going on to get the 18-point win.
“That is the nice thing about this group,” Reese said. “When we smell blood, we have that killer instinct to finish the job and that is what we did there in the second half.”
Caden Kitchens was the other Yellowjacket in double figures and he came up clutch in the second half, as that is when he scored all 10 of his points. Reese talks about how the big man can make such an impact.
“He is just so big, he can be hard to guard and he works so hard, too,” Reese said. “He is a good kid and it is great to see the hard work paying off.”
Check It Out: Kingfisher boys maintain home winning streak with first-place finish in tournament
Despite the loss, Inola’s season continues. They will play Byng at 3 p.m. on Thursday in a must-win game.
Kingfisher will play in the 4A Area IV championship game at 7:30 p.m. on Friday night against North Rock Creek, with the winner of that game moving on to the state tournament. The area tournament site is in Noble.
Girls 4A Regional Championship
Inola 47, Kingfisher 46 (OT)
The regional championship between Inola and Kingfisher on the girls side was one of runs, but the overtime period saw three baskets, all of which were lead changes and it resulted in a one-point Inola win and a regional championship for the Lady Longhorns.
With the game tied at 43, both teams exchanged turnovers to start overtime. Inola’s Lacey Moss scored the first basket in the overtime period, but a 3-pointer from Peyton Walker quickly gave Kingfisher a one-point lead midway through the stanza.
The Lady Jackets had an opportunity to extend that lead, but missed the front end of a one-and-one with less than a minute left.
Following a Lady Longhorn timeout, Jaci Moore hit the game-winning basket with 10 seconds left. Kingfisher had an opportunity, but fumbled the ball out of bounds as time expired.
“That was one that we should have had in the bag and almost let slip away, but we were resilient enough to come back in overtime and secure the victory,” Inola coach Todd Dixon said.
Inola girls photo by Inola Girls Basketball Facebook page
It appeared as if Inola had things wrapped up in regulation, as the Longhorns led, 43-36, after Moss sunk a 3-pointer with 43 seconds left, but Walker answered with a 3-pointer to trim the lead to four with 20 seconds left.
After Inola missed the front end of a one-and-one, Kingfisher's Addy Matthews was fouled and made one shot to trim the lead to three.
Inola was fouled with five seconds left and again missed the front end of a one-and-one. Without a time out, Walker raced down the court and made a 3-pointer at the buzzer, sending the game to overtime.
“These are all learning experiences,” Dixon said. “It’s easier to say when you win, but it’s true. Kingfisher, they played tough and I wouldn’t be surprised to see them again.”
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Kingfisher got out to a fast start, leading 18-5 at one point in the first quarter, but the Lady Longhorns went on a 12-2 run and they trimmed that deficit to three by halftime.
“That is part of that resiliency,” Dixon said. “This team feeds off of one another and they are never going to give up on one another. This is a special group that I’ve got here.”
Coming out of halftime, Inola continued to dominate, as Miller Weast scored back-to-back baskets to give the Lady Longhorns a 27-20 lead midway through the third quarter.
After Kingfisher had narrowed that lead to one to start the fourth quarter, Weast scored four consecutive baskets, stretching the lead out to nine, which was Inola’s biggest.
“When she wants to, she can really take over a game and we saw that (Saturday),” Dixon said.
Inola led by eight midway through the fourth quarter, but the Lady Jackets were able to hang around before making the late run in the final minute.
Both Walker and Weast finished in double figures.
Kingfisher will play next Thursday in the area consolation bracket against Sallisaw. Inola is in Friday's area championship game against Fort Gibson.
The area site will be in Noble, with the winner of the area championship game moving on to state, along with the winner of the area consolation championship.
Boys 4A Regional Consolation Championship
OKC John Marshall 66, Bridge Creek 64
It was an exciting Saturday afternoon, with teams in Class 4A Area IV fighting for their playoff lives in Cleveland, as John Marshall was taking on Bridge Creek in a win-or-go home ballgame.
In a game that the Bears trailed for most of the game, they came out on top by defeating Bridge Creek.
“The kids really just started trusting each other, applying ball pressure, shooting the ball with confidence and that is what made the difference down the stretch,” John Marshall coach Patrick Cudjoe said.
In the final minute, John Marshall had the ball down by a point when senior Daniel Ramahn came up with a clutch bucket, giving the Bears a 65-64 lead. After the ball was stolen away by John Marshall, Bridge Creek was forced to foul, sending Jalil Abdullah to the free throw line where he made one of two, giving the Bears a two-point lead.
On the Bobcats’ final possession, they put it in the hands of the game’s leading scorer, Jacob Ojeda, but his shot off the glass was no good as time expired.
John Marshall's Derrick Lawrence, who finished with 23 points and came away with the late steal, talks about what the victory meant.
“This win means a lot,” Lawrence said. “Being able to get to area my senior year is special and the way this game went makes it even more memorable.”
In the second half, John Marshall trailed by as much as 15, but that didn’t stop the Bears from clawing back into the game. Following a three-pointer from Ojeda midway through the third quarter that put Bridge Creek up by 15, which was the widest margin of the game, the Bears closed the quarter on a 15-4 run, trimming the lead to four.
In the fourth quarter, the two teams exchanged baskets, as the largest lead was Bridge Creek’s seven-point edge early on.
“This program has been down,” Cudjoe said. “Any positive, such as this, to get it going in the right direction, is exactly what we need. Now I’m about to go do some scouting for area next week.”
The first quarter was fast and furious, as both teams traded baskets at break-neck speed.
The Bobcats led, 15-11, midway through the first quarter and took a 27-18 lead into the second quarter. Despite trailing at that point, and for a majority of the game, Lawrence said he was having fun.
“We don’t mind running, but yeah, that was a lot for sure,” Lawrence said. “I think we were all ready for a dead ball and the quarter break.”
The second quarter slowed down, as it was Bridge Creek leading John Marshall, 36-27, going into halftime. The Bears will now play Anadarko next Thursday in area.
Bridge Creek’s season comes to an end with a record of 14-11
Girls 4A Regional Consolation Championship
Oologah-Talala 55, Cleveland 40
The girls game pitted the home-standing Cleveland Lady Tigers against Oologah-Talala, but in Saturday’s regional consolation championship, home court advantage didn’t mean a lot, as it was the Lady Mustangs coming away with the victory.
They led 20-3 at the end of the first quarter and took a 30-12 lead into halftime.
“We came out, took care of business and did what we needed to do to get the win (Saturday)," Lady Mustang coach Matt Sweeney said. “Now it’s on to area because we still have goals to achieve.”
Kailee Saeba finished the game with 16 points for Oologah-Talala and was the leading scorer for both teams. The Lady Mustangs will play Anadarko in area on Thursday. The area tournament site is set for Noble.
Cleveland’s season comes to an end with a record of 6-21.
