Oklahoma 4A boys quarterfinals: Tulsa McLain gets job done, advances past Anadarko, 62-56
OKLAHOMA CITY - It almost seemed like Tulsa McLain didn’t want the game.
Despite controlling Anadarko for most of the afternoon, in the final minutes of the tightly contested contest, the Titans were on the verge of giving it away.
But when they needed to make a play, McLain was able to get the job done and pulled out a 62-56 victory Thursday over Anadarko at the State Fairgrounds Arena.
“We played good enough to win, but we didn't play as well as we could have,” McLain coach Randy Rutherford said. “That's a good team. They didn't quit for 32 minutes. So under the circumstances, we will take the win.”
In a game that featured nine ties and five lead changes, the drama picked up with less than five minutes left.
With the score tied at 43-all, Antonio Colbert gave McLain the lead with a corner 3-pointer from right in front of his bench. After Anadarko came up empty, the Titans knocked down another 3-pointer to go up by six with 3:23 left.
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The Warriors had a couple of chances to close the gap but couldn’t connect. On the second miss, McLain’s KJ Nichols grabbed the rebound and took it the full length of the court for the layup and the foul. The ensuing free throw put McLain up, 52-43, with 2:23 left.
Nichols added another free throw to go up by 10. Anadarko came down and hit a trey on their next possession.
Colbert and the Warriors' Jaben Bray exchanged baskets before the Titans' Nate Jefferson was fouled and made 1-of-2 from the line. Leading 56-48, the Titans forced another turnover and Nichols went to the free-throw line and tried to put the game away by hitting a pair of free throws.
However, Anadarko hit a 3, then forced a turnover before Bray was fouled attempting another shot from behind the arc. He hit all three free throws and the lead was down to four, 58-54.
Instead of trying to run the clock out, McClain tried to score and missed two shots near the basket. Anadarko got the rebound and was fouled on the other end. They made both shots from the line and the gap was closed to 58-56 with 15 seconds on the clock.
But Jefferson was able to put the game away after calmly draining a pair of free throws.
“I was telling the team basic fundamental things. If you do the detailed stuff the right way, play that way with passion and the detailed stuff, it takes care of itself,” Rutherford said. “At the end of the day, we get the 'W.'
"Now we got to get to the drawing board and see out what we got to do (Friday in the 4A semifinals).”
The fundamentals include hitting free throws. McLain was 14-of-17 on the night. That included hitting 9-of-10 in the second half.
Nichols posted a game-high 23 points to go along with six rebounds, four assists and two assists in 32 minutes of action. Colbert added 19 points and six boards.
The Warriors were led by Bray, who tallied 22 points.
The Titans will move on to the semifinals to face Weatherford at 4:30 p.m. Friday. The two have not played each other this season.
“The biggest deal we got to do is just play our game plan,” Rutherford said. “We can't wait five minutes into the first quarter with five turnovers. You're not beating Weatherford if you do that.
"And we know what kind of team they have, but we know how good we can actually be if we play the right way.”
Weatherford 54, Stilwell 34
Weatherford came out of the blocks like a No. 1 seed and put the clamps on Stilwell early.
After trailing 17-1 in the first quarter, the Indians shot just 10 percent from the field in the first half. It only got slightly better in the second as the Eagles cruised to a 47-16 advantage before clearing their bench to start the fourth.
While Weatherford shot below 50 percent for the game and only knocked down four 3-pointers, they had completely overwhelmed Stilwell defensively that they didn’t need to be at their best offensively.
Keller Hitcher was the lone bright spot offensively for the Indians. The senior guard tied for a game-high 19 points to go with five rebounds. Brayton Carter added eight rebounds.
CJ Nickson posted 19 points on 8-of-12 shooting for the Eagles. Tate Sage scored 12 points in the win.
OKC Douglass 56, Blanchard 43
Midway through the third quarter, Douglass held a slight 35-30 lead. They then proceeded to go on a 16-3 run to blow the game open against Blanchard.
It was Davon Scott who keyed the surge by draining three consecutive 3-pointers during the run.
The junior hit six 3-pointers on the night and had a feeling before the game started, he was due for a big outing.
“Whenever I was warming up, I was just telling myself, look, you can make anything you shoot,” Scott said. “You're the best shooter in the state. Nobody can mess with you.
"And having that confidence in yourself is key. If you don't have confidence in yourself, you can't play the game of basketball.”
The Lions were led by Ross Johnston, who scored 14 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Carson Cooksey and Jared Wrigley each scored nine points in the defeat.
Nichols racked up 24 points and was 6-of-8 from 3-point range. Nkem House added eight points, while Deshawn Ransome chipped in with six points.
The Trojans will face North Rock Creek in the semifinals.
North Rock Creek 50, Perkins-Tryon 44
The game was tied at 41-all with just 2:30 in regulation. David King un-tied the contest with a bucket to give North Rock Creek a two-point advantage against Perkins-Tryon.
The Demons' Tucker Shepard came up short on his 3-point attempt and King was fouled before making 1-of-2 free throws.
Trailing 44-41, Shepard banged in a corner 3-pointer to tie the contest with 1:15 on the clock. However, on the other end of the floor, King found Cason Coomer on the wing, and the 6-foot-4 junior answered with a 3-pointer of his own to retake the lead at 47-44.
Shepard had two shots at a game-tying 3-pointer, but they were both off the mark. NRC put the game away at the free-throw line and earn a spot in the semifinals.
Shepard finished the night with 16 points and six rebounds. Dylan Davidson added 11 points for the Demons.
The Cougars had three players score in double figures. King, Coomer and Caleb Hawkins each posted 13 points.
North Rock Creek will face defending 4A champion Douglass at 6 p.m. Friday.
-- Michael Kinney | @SBLiveOK
